Two of a kind
by Mayziken
Summary: What happends when Ash accidently smashes a window to a lab where a very old professor lives? find out! AdvanceShipping. Written by CyberCubed on SPPF from 19/10/2005 - 29/12/2006
1. It all started out like this?

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own this story, Pokemon or any of the characters!! All credit for writing this story must go to CyberCubed on SPPF. I have got permission from CyberCubed to post this story here. No copyright infringement was intended by CyberCubed or me_

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**Chapter 1**

**It all started out like this?**

"Let's see you catch this!" a young girl exuberantly exclaimed

"I'm waiting for it," a young boy responded

The girl smiled at her friend as she pulled back her arm. She then twirled herself clockwise as she released the orange frisbee in the air

The young boy named Ash started running toward the frisbee as it was coming down to the ground. Ash knowing that he would never catch it with his current speed, leaped off the ground and extended his arms as he darted for the object

The young girl named May looked with glee as the dust cleared. Ash was laying with his body flat on the ground. He picked his face up from the dirt and looked out toward his hand. He grinned and jumped up into the air as he realized that he caught the frisbee

Brock and Max, two close friends of Ash, were standing on the side of the field watching as the two young teens played together. There were very few trees where they were playing, which was why they chose to play in this area as there was plenty of free space to run around. Near the end of the field was a small silver toned building, with small circular windows and a very high tech door. The kids decided to play near the middle of the field so they didn't accidentally disturb whoever was living there. But in the heat of their game, the two friends didn't realize that they were slowly but surely beginning to move toward the small building, as each throw moved them closer and closer out of the field. Brock and Max, the oldest and youngest of the group respectively, also began walking toward their friends while watching them continue to play with much excitement.

"Gee, those two are really getting into this aren't they? I sure hope Ash can beat my sister," Max said giggling, "I want her to lose for beating me!"

"This game could go either way," Brock replied, "After all, they're the two who made it to the finals of our little tournament."

Ash and May continued to throw the frisbee at each other, each trying to throw it as far away from their opponents reach as they could so they could win a point.

May moved her body athletically, as she was leaping and running with delight catching all of Ash's throws. The young girls' thick brunette hair blew in the wind as she was playing. She noticed her chest started to hinder her movement when they were playing, as her breasts continued to bounce with each run. May tried to ignore it as she knew there was nothing she could do with the type of bra she was wearing.

Ash, now holding the frisbee again after another throw from May, stared her down in a showdown. May started running to the side of the clearing so she would have an easy time to catch the frisbee no matter which direction he would throw it in.

May bent forward putting her palms on her knees. She licked her lips in anticipation, waiting for her moment. Her huge smile and determined eyes gave Ash the impression that she wasn't going to give up easy. May continued to wait for Ash to throw the frisbee, as her heart continued to pump faster.

Ash stood there eyeing his opponent, he knew the girl was serious about winning the match. After all, either side needed only one more point to win, and whoever managed to score would win the tournament they played as a group with Brock and Max.

Ash felt a drop of water fall off his face. He rubbed the side of his face with his elbow as he noticed he was sweating. He gripped the edge of the frisbee tightly, he only needed to throw the frisbee where May couldn't catch it in order to win. He also knew he needed to throw it in the vicinity of May's position, or it would be considered a foul and he would automatically lose. He was in a very tight situation, as this round had lasted over 40 minutes with a lot riding on the outcome.

The prize for winning the tournament was an extra slice of strawberry shortcake left over from their lunch before. Ash and May were more determined to eat that last piece of cake than their other two friends, as neither Ash or May could resist eating something as creamy and tasty as cake. This fueled their ambitions to win the game, and both of them played so intently and so seriously, that one would expect they were acting like the prize would be the world itself.

Ash returned a smile to his opponent. Both players were staring into each others eyes as if they could read what the other was about to do by their facial expressions. Brock and Max did nothing but watch silently, awaiting the outcome. The tension in the players grew, but the smiles on their faces didn't change, which only increased the anxiety and intensity between them.

Fueled by the intensity of the game, none of the group realized that they were much closer to the small silver toned building then before. In fact, May was only standing roughly ten feet in front of it. All eyes were glued on the game however, as none of them could break their gaze off of it in order to notice something in the background.

Finally, Ash lifted his arm back as he prepared to make his throw.

"This is it!" Ash snarled.

"C'mon Ash, give it to me!" May sarcastically yelled back.

Ash released the frisbee in the air. May looked up at the flying disc as she noticed it was too high up for her to jump. Brock and Max gasped as it looked like May would miss the catch.

May, still fixated on the frisbee, started running backwards so she could catch it as it came down. Ash stared intently as he had put all the last of his remaining strength into that last throw.

"She's going to miss it!" Max yelled.

May continued running backwards as a feeling of dread washed over her.

"NO! I can't catch it!" May gasped.

The frisbee zoomed over May's head until suddenly….

**CRASH!  
**  
May stopped in her tracks and looked forward with wide open eyes. Her blue sapphire eyes extended as her mouth gaped open. In a shock to all of them, the group looked with anxiety as they saw the frisbee smash through one of the small circular windows from the small silver toned building.

"Oh…damn…" Ash thought to himself, looking at what he had done.

"I didn't think we were that close to this building!" Brock said, astonished, as he and Max started running toward May.

May stared at the cracked glass as some shards began to fall and break on the floor. Her gaze was fixated on the cracked window until Ash ran up to her and snapped her out of her gaze.

"May?" Ash asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.

May looked back at her friend and said nothing, she was uncertain and worried.

Max exclaimed, "I sure hope nobody was home…"

May brushed Ash's hand off her shoulder and walked ahead of him. While Brock and Max continued to look at the broken shards, Ash and May were locked in a deep train of thought while staring at one another.

Both knew what this meant.

The cake.

Even though they both felt terrible about breaking the window, the cake was the first thing that came to both the boy and girls' minds as the first sounds of broken glass occurred. As if they could understand each other's expressions and feelings, both Ash and May knew what the other was thinking.

The small slice of strawberry shortcake…belonged to the victor…May.

Having thrown the frisbee out of bounds into foul territory, Ash had lost the match even though May missed catching it.

Before their minds could even go back to the broken glass, May uttered a sound.

"I get the cake Ash?" she uttered in a low soft voice.

"You get the cake May," Ash reassured her in a low, defeated voice.

May managed to smile and closed both her eyes tightly for a few seconds to quietly celebrate her victory over their 40 minute match, before turning around to the shattered window while the feeling of anxiety and uncertainty washed over her again.

Ash looked at his friend compassionately before focusing his attention on the building and feeling terrible for breaking the glass. As the group continued to feel a bit nervous, their shock and tension increased ten-fold as an old, high pitched voice screamed from inside the building.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED OVER HERE!?"

Ash and May felt their hearts leap up into their throats. They took one final glance at each other for some false hope of reassurance, as the doors slid open and the old man inside opened the door…


	2. You break it, you buy it!

**Chapter 2  
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****"You break it, you buy it!"  
**  
The four kids looked before them as a shadowy figure began to emerge from the house. As the sunlight revealed his character, the group looked at him a bit reluctantly. The elderly man who appeared to be in his early 60's had frizzy gray hair sticking out from the sides of his head. He had a large, oval-like nose that was almost humorous to look at. His balding head reflected the sunlight that battered down upon his scalp. The old man was wearing a white lab coat that stretched down to his knees. His dark black pants contrasted his shirt which was full of dirt patches underneath his open lab coat.

He gazed upon the kids with both a nervous and convulsed demeanor. Without saying another word, the man took out from his coat pocket the frisbee that Ash had accidentally thrown through the window.

"Which one of you did this?" he asked in a gruff, curious voice.

Ash's nose twitched before he stepped forward, "I…was the one who broke your window…I don't know how I could say this but…"

"Never mind!" the elderly man interrupted while tossing the frisbee back up into the air.

As Brock jumped forward to catch the frisbee as it fell, the old man turned to the group as a glimmer sparked in his eye.

"I hope you kids know that you're going to have to reimburse me for the window," he said, cracking a smile.

"Wha…really?" May asked, startled.

"When you break other peoples things you're going to be expected to pay for it, little girl," he snickered, "Anyway, come inside. I'd like to take the names down of you kids you know."

Ash and the others took a glance at each other before reluctantly walking forward into the small building. As the group walked into the building they were aghast by all the high-tech devices around them. Mechanical arms moved erratically placing small objects on conveyor belts. Bubbling chemicals were being mixed and remixed in test tubes by machines. Various computer screens were displaying numerical data and mathematical formulas.

The gang realized that they appeared to be inside some type of lab, and judging by the elderly man's appearance, he was the scientist or professor of this particular lab. The gang continued walking a few steps behind the man as he motioned for them to follow him.

"Wow, what is with all this stuff?" Max asked curiously.

The others continued to gaze around as the elderly man motioned for them to sit on an orange couch in front of a coffee table. Ash sat on the left side of the couch while Pikachu jumped on his lap, as May, Max and Brock sat next to him respectively.

"Nooooooooooow then!" the elderly man exclaimed, "Whose names should I be taking to report this vandalism?"

"Hey hold on, I told you it was an accident!" Ash said defensively, waving his hand.

"Now, now, now. It doesn't matter to me, all I want is the cost of my window repaired," the man exuberantly exclaimed as he twirled around.

He then suddenly stopped spinning and put his face right in front of Ash's. Ash jerked his head back with a nervous gaze as the others looked upon them.

"Unleeeeeeeeeeeesssss," the man said cheerfully as he grinned, "You're willing to work for me to pay up your debt."

"But…we don't even know who you are or what you even do here," Brock interrupted.

The elderly man turned his face away from Ash and turned toward Brock, "Well then, let me introduce myself as, "Mr. I just got my window broken by four kids and their Pikachu!"

The group stared at him with blank expressions.

May raised her hand in order to get the man's attention. "Um, Mr. I just got my window broken by four kids and their Pikachu?" she asked naively.

The man raised an eyebrow as he stared at the petite young girl, "Yes…?"

"I think your lab coat is on fire," she said softly.

The elderly man's eyes opened wide as he glanced down at the back of his lab coat. He had been leaning against the fireplace that was a few feet ahead of the coffee table. The back of his lab coat ended up catching the flames blowing from the opened fire place during his spontaneous movements.

"GAH!" he screamed as he jumped in the air flinging his coat left and right.

The man continued trying to put out the fire by rubbing his back against a wall, only to find out that he wasn't doing a very good job at doing so. As the gang continued to watch him prance around muttering various phrases to himself, Ash decided to get up to help him.

"Don't you think we should help him put out the fire?" Ash asked his friends.

"That would be a good idea Ash, it doesn't look like our friend here is having the time of his life," Brock replied.

"Why don't you take off your lab coat?!" May shouted.

The scientist looked up at the girl and said, "Gee, why didn't I think of that?"

He then removed his arms form the sleeves of his lab coat as the fire still spread across the fabric. He dropped his coat to the floor as Ash and May ran up to it and started to stomp on the fire in order to put it out. Max stood holding Pikachu in his arms watching from the couch.

"WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING? YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOUR PANTS ON FIRE!" the man warned.

"Wuh?" Ash and May said while noticing their attempts to put out the fire had been pointless.

Brock yelled, "Move away and just douse the flames with your water Pokemon instead!"

Ash and May stepped back a bit and reached for their Pokeballs. The elderly man stood behind his lab coat watching the kids send out their Pokemon.

"Squirtle!"

"Corphish!"

"Bubble Beam!"

"Water Gun!"

The small timid turtle and jolly lobster spouted aquatic attacks from their mouths and pincers respectively. The water attacks successfully doused the flaming lab coat but they put out too much pressure as well!

As the splashes cleared, the kids saw the man drenched with water while sitting on the floor, along with the fireplace behind him completely dry. The man looked even more fed up than he was before, as he wiped his brow with his soaking arm sleeve.

"Eh, I think we overdid it a little Corphish," Ash said, frowning.

"Well we put out the fire, he can't be mad at us can he?" May asked reluctantly, feeling a sweat mark run down her face.

The man finally stood up as he stared at the young teens completely dripping with water as it made a puddle on the floor underneath him.

He stared at them with a stern expression and stated very quietly, "I don't know why I invited you kids in here, as I know I probably just made the biggest mistake of my life."

May took a glance at Ash for reassurance but he continued staring straight at the man.

The man continued, "I am going to go into the other room to change my clothes. My name is "I cannot stand the lot of you", and when I come back, I want to see you kids RIGHT on that couch."

"Uh, of course," Ash said nervously.

The man began to walk through the doorway before turning around, "And for the love of God, do NOT touch anything. Do NOT look at anything. Do NOT even think about doing ANYTHING at all. You do NOT want to upset me anymore than you already have, as I think my blood pressure has already risen since you kids entered my place."

Brock stepped forward, "Sure, we won't do anything until you get back. Right guys?"

Ash, May and Max replied with, "Yep!"

The scientist shook his head again before exiting the room.

"Phew, at least he's gone," Max breathed a sign of relief.

"Hey Brock," Ash asked, "Why didn't you help us put out the fire with your water Pokemon?"

Brock quickly answered, "Don't you remember Ash? I sent all my Pokemon except Foretress back to my brother in Pewter Gym. I just sent them over yesterday if you recall."

"Ah, yeah. I forgot about that," Ash said, putting his hands on his hips.

Max again glanced around the wide open room they were in, with various electronic and mechanical devices moving at alarming speeds.

"This place is AMAZING!" Max shouted gleefully, "Just look at all this cool stuff going on!"

"Don't get too carried away Max," Brock reminded him, "The professor told us not to touch anything. We don't even know what all this stuff is for or what it even does."

"Oh you're right. It's still fun to look at though. It's no fair that we can't at least get a little closer and touch some of this stuff," Max sighed.

"Yeah, but let's just sit still for the moment. Right Ash?" Brock asked as he noticed Ash wasn't near him.

"Uh….Ash?" Brock said again looking around the room.

"May?" Max added as he noticed his sister also wasn't in the vicinity.

Pikachu uttered, "Pika." and cocked it's head.

At the other side of the large open room behind some rather large machinery, Ash and May stood side by side admiring the equipment.

"OHMYGOSH!" May exclaimed.

"Wow, what could all this stuff be for?!" Ash added while drooling at all the nice shiny equipment.

The two stared in awe at two sets of mechanical arms as they continued putting together metal cylinders at a fast speed.

"I bet you can make your breakfast really fast with a pair of these robot arms!" Ash bemused while gawking at the invention.

"Or better yet just imaging getting a massage from these arms. After my back aches from walking so much I would love to program these arms to give me a little relief," May said eagerly while putting her pointer finger to her lips.

"Heh, imagine if you could get these things to tie your shoes for you?" Ash added.

"Or even comb your hair? One arm would hold the brush and the other the hair dryer!" May said placing her hands on her cheeks blushing heavily over her own comment.

The two young teens continued to look in awe as if they were two kids in a candy store.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted as it ran toward it's trainer.

"Ash!" Brock shouted.

"May!" Max added.

Ash and May turned around to see Pikachu, Brock and Max run up to them.

Max scolded his sister, "Why did you walk all the way over here? Didn't you hear when he told us to sit still? We're in enough trouble as it is!"

"I agree, you two pretty much disappeared in an instant," Brock said.

"Oh please, Max," an annoyed May bended over toward her little brother while putting her hands on her hips, "We just wanted to take a closer look at all of this stuff. We're not causing any trouble."

"I'm sure the old guy didn't literally mean for us to sit on the couch," Ash added, "Besides, I've never seen stuff this cool in my life!"

May turned around, holding her hips back to the robotic arms. She stared at their motion again as her eyes began to water with excitement. She then turned around before leaning her arm against the table in which the arms took the metal cylinders from.

"You know Max, I think you need to stop being such a goody-too-shoes," she said sarcastically.

Off of Max's angry reaction, May accidentally leaned her arms back which knocked over a group of cylinders.

"May watch what you're doing!" Ash shouted.

"Oh damn," May muttered as she frantically began to stack every last cylinder back in it's place.

Just as she began to pick up the last one and place it with the others, the pair of robotic arms gripped onto the back of her shirt while she was leaning over the table!

"What the!" May exclaimed as she felt herself being lifted in the air.

"You know, I think we should have listened to you two," Ash confessed to Brock and Max as he covered his face with embarrassment.

"Gah! Why don't you guys try to get me down!" May shouted as the two robotic arms began to swing her back and forth.

Due to May's weight and the arms erratic movement, the machinery began to malfunction. Metal cylinders continued to fall off the conveyor belt toward the arms, but instead of the arms picking up the cylinders they continued to fall and roll over the table instead.

"GUYS!" May shouted frantically.

The left arm was holding her from her white skirt while the right arm gripped the back of her red shirt. The arms continued moving in a circular motion with May along with it.

"Ash, Brock you got to get my sister down! These cylinders are falling off the table and onto the floor here," Max cried.

Brock motioned for Ash to follow him in order to reach May who was hung a few feet above the table. They walked their way around the falling metal cylinders as they tried to reach up to pull May down.

Ash reached up and grabbed May's arms while Brock pulled on her legs in the opposite direction. The mechanical arms still held onto the back of May's skirt and shirt respectively, as it continued moving her in an erratic manner.

May's eyes broadened in frustration and pain as three forces were pulling on her in opposite directions. The fabric of her skirt and shirt were being pulled upward which nearly began to tear, while her friends had a firm grip on the other two ends of her body.

"You guys are going to pull me to pieces!" May screamed.

"Errgh…let go of her!" Ash cried as he continued pulling May's arms with all his might.

Brock tried to brace himself by placing his foot on the table while pulling on May's legs. Apparently neither was strong enough to remove her from the arms grip.

Suddenly, an idea popped into May's head.

"Ash, quick, let go of me!" May said as she watched him continue to pull her forward.

"Wha?" Ash asked as he loosened his grip on May's arms.

As soon as May's arms were free from Ash's grip, she tried to reach back to her fannypack to pull out a Pokeball.

"May, what are you doing?" Ash asked.

May didn't answer but continued to struggle to open her pocket. After a few attempts she was lucky enough to open her top pocket and pulled out the first Pokeball she could grab.

"This will do, come out!" May cried as she threw the Pokeball ahead of her.

As the flash of the light formed into a strong burly Pokemon known as Combusken, Brock let go of her legs as he realized what she was up to.

"Combusken, Sky Uppercut!" she commanded.

"Sceptile we need you too, use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded as he threw out his Pokeball.

The large grass lizard appeared next to Combusken as it scratched it's chin. The two Pokemon suddenly leaped up toward the mechanical arms and pulled back their bodies to unleash an attack. Combusken pulled back it's right arm in order to give a devastating blow to the left mechanical arm, while Sceptile's arm glowed a bright green color and attacked the right arm.

May looked up frantically as both Pokemon continued to pound away at the two arms. As both attacks were hitting in succession, the sturdy robotic arms began to weaken by it's upper limbs.

"That's it, keep pounding away!" May exclaimed.

With one last cry, Sceptile's and Combusken's attacks weakened the arms so much that the weight of May's body snapped the hands off the upper half. Without warning, May fell five feet onto the table below. Sceptile and Combusken had landed on the ground next to Ash, Max and Brock.

A small tear formed in the upper right corner of May's eyes as the impact of the fall really hurt her face and chest. She lifted herself up with her arms until she noticed the table was wobbling. Suddenly, the table could no longer handle so much on top of it as it lop sided over and May fell down onto the floor.

The others watched as a very frustrated May began to lift herself up off the floor, only to end up slipping on one of the metal cylinders on the ground.

"Gah!" May shouted as she fell down on her butt.

"May, are you alright?" Ash asked.

"Jeez, Ash! What does it look like?" May snarled at him.

She stood up again as the machine on the right continued sending one metal cylinder after another off the conveyor belt and onto the fallen table.

"Will someone turn this damn thing off already?!" May shouted.

Suddenly May turned to Sceptile and Combusken in a rage.

"You two, get this machine to stop throwing these things here, now!" she demanded as she was completely enraged.

Sceptile and Combusken took a brief glance at each other before listening to May. Sceptile opened it's mouth to fire several pellets known as the attack Bullet Seed, while Combusken shot out a breath of fire. Both attacks intertwined with one another and hit the conveyor belt sending down the metal cylinders.

As the attacks struck, the machine ending up exploding sending the last remaining cylinders up in the air and toward the kids. The cylinders flew off the machine violently and started flying all over the room.

"Get down!" Max yelled as he jumped toward the ground placing his hands over his head.

"Oh jeez!" Brock yelled as he followed suit.

The two Pokemon ducked for cover behind another machine while May wasn't completely aware of what was going on. Without hesitation, Ash quickly pulled on May's right arm in order to get her to fall to the floor. Ash pulled her down to the ground and covered her back with his body in order to protect her while placing his hands on May's shoulders.

The group continued to listen while laying and covering their eyes on the ground as one last cylinder flew passed them and smacked into a wall.

The noise had stopped which gave them the impression that the machine had finally been destroyed. Ash opened his eyes and began to realize that he had placed his full body on the top of May's back in order to protect her. May felt the warmth of Ash's entire body as his lay perfectly symmetrical on top of hers.

"I think you can stop laying on top of me Ash," May said softly, turning her head back.

"Ok," Ash said, cracking a nervous smile as he began to lift himself off of her.

The group began to stand themselves up again as they dusted themselves off from the smoke and debris that had flown all over them. May coughed as she brushed the dust off of her skirt. Brock stretched his neck a bit and looked around him. Sceptile and Combusken walked back toward their respective trainers looking to see if they were alright.

The two machines that they had attacked were completely destroyed. Metal cylinders were scattered all over the floor. The two arms laid broke next to the fallen table. The machines around it continued to function but were filled with smoke from the vicinity. Shards of metal and glass littered the ground around them.

"Well…at least that's over with," Brock sighed in relief.

"Thanks for helping me, Ash, although you could have gotten me down from that robotic thing a bit sooner," May said, crossing her arms.

Ash chuckled a bit to himself as he scratched the back of his head, a habit he had when he was nervous.

"At least we're through the worst of it," Ash stated.

Suddenly, the gang heard a door slam wide open from the other room.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS ALL THAT NOISE FROM!?" the professor exclaimed.

The professor had a change of clothes as he re-entered the room, he wore a blue sleeveless shirt with a collar follow by a pair of slacks and dark boots. He took one look around at his lab and saw two completely destroyed machines along the left wall and the floor scattered with debris.

"CAN'T I LEAVE YOU KIDS ALONE FOR A SECOND WITHOUT YOU BREAKING MORE OF MY STUFF?!" he screamed while his face beamed with anger.

Ash, May, Max and Brock stared at him a bit blankly as he walked over to them.

"Who is responsible for this?" he demanded.

In unison, Ash suddenly pointed toward May, while May pointed to Ash, while Brock and Max pointed to both of them while grinning nervously.

"It wasn't me!" the four of them answered in unison only to see each other pointing to other people.

"Scep," Sceptile smugly stated as he covered his face in embarrassment.

Ash and May noticed Max and Brock pointed toward them.

"Uh…I don't suppose we can make this up, eh?" Ash said politely, lowering his arm.

"Yeah, after all you can just build these machines over again…right?" May added rubbing her hands together nervously.

The elderly man raised an eyebrow.

"Can somebody please explain to me why I've been caused nothing but grief by you kids in just the ten minutes I've known you?!" he asked as he shook his head.

May quickly replied, "Well everyone has their bad days every once in awhile right?!"


	3. Listening and taking turns can be fun!

**Chapter 3  
****  
****"Listening and taking turns can be fun!"  
**  
The professor had invited his "guests" into his living quarters of his lab. He had a fairly moderate sized room to sleep in, eat in, read in, and do whatever the normal populace would do in their time off. The sounds of machinery from the lab could only be faintly heard in his living quarters, which gave him the peace and quiet he needed. There were a few gadgets and gizmos lined about along his shelves, most of them resembled metallic shaped guns, but Ash and the gang didn't think much of it as they glanced about them. The professor had calmed down a bit and had decided to fill them in on what exactly he does for a living. First however, it was business as usual.

"10,000 dollars," the professor stated.

"Ten thousand?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yep…that just about covers everything you broke since you've gotten here," the man said nonchalantly, checking his fingernails while resting in his armchair.

"You're serious, aren't you?" an astonished May asked.

"Sure am," the man said, taking out a fingernail clipper from his pants pocket.

"I can't believe he's going to make us pay for everything," Max said uncertainly, looking up at his older sister.

Brock stepped forward, "But sir, can't you see that most of us are just kids? You can't expect us to have that kind of money."

The professor started clipping his fingernails while talking, "I assume you kids have parents, do you not? You didn't just appear on the street one day out of nowhere, I'm sure of it. "

The gang stared at him confused with a bit of anxiety, as they watched each finger nail fly in the air after being cut.

"You want our parents to pay for your stuff?" Ash asked.

"Well that would be obvious, would it not? If you don't have the money yourselves, you have family I assume," the man said still clipping away at his nails, "Let's see now…"

The man put down the fingernail clipper on the small wooden table next to his chair. He raised out his fingers and began counting down on each them, "One was for the glass window that I had smashed by such a charming young man, two was for making me get my lab coat on fire thus completely ruining it…"

Max cut him off, "But we didn't get your coat on fire, you did it!"

"True I suppose," the man replied, "But had you kids not come into my house I wouldn't have caught the fire on my lab coat. It's all a chain reaction you see…you break my window…you come inside by lab…and you cause me to get myself caught on fire…and as I was saying before, the third and most expensive item being my mechanical arms and conveyor belts, thus ruining one of my experiments. Lots of money went into building that equipment you know."

"But…" Max tried to say.

May put her hand on her brothers' head and motioned for him to be quiet. A timid Max looked up at his sister and noticed that she was as nervous as he was. Ash took a glance at the two frightened siblings and decided to approach the man once more.

"How about we work for you to pay off the debt, like you asked us to before?" Ash asked, the rest of the group glaring at him.

"Hmmm…you'd be working for an awful long time you know," the man said, scratching his chin.

"Listen," Brock added, "We're very sorry for what we did, but can you at least tell us what you even do here? We'd be willing to pay our debt…but heck…we don't even know your name for one thing!"

"I thought I told you my name…but ah never mind…that was my name from 10 minutes ago," the professor replied.

"Eh?" Ash muttered.

"My name now is "Mr. Lenient", and I'm willing to go easy on you since you're such a swell bunch of kids."

"So…we don't have to pay…or work?" May asked, putting her hand up by her face.

"To some extent yes, but I believe I should tell you what my lab is about," he stated.

"Good, it's only reasonable for us to be curious," Brock said nicely, attempting to smooth talk the man.

"NOW THEN!" the professor suddenly shouted as he slammed his hand down on the table.

The four kids jumped in the shock of the noise.

The man looked as if he was confused, "Let's see…what were we talking about again?"

"Uh, you were explaining to us what you do in your lab?" Ash reminded him.

"OH that's right! Thank you young man!" he replied.

The professor stood up from his chair, "If you must know, I work as a researcher for Devon corp, you may have heard of them."

"Hey, we were there!" Max said happily.

"Yeah, didn't we go there back when we were in Rustboro City in Hoenn, Ash?" May asked.

"Yeah, we met the President of Devon corp and everything," Ash said happily.

"Oh so you DO know them. That is just swell. You kids are such a lovely bunch," The man said slyly as he looked over at May. "Your friend here is quite the looker."

"Wuh?" May said as she felt herself blush.

The professor then looked over at Ash, "You sure can pick them kiddo. This girl is really quite a prize, you must have good taste in women."

"Wait, I think you got it wrong a bit. May is just a really good friend," Ash said reluctantly.

May moved her arms over her chest awkwardly. Her voice trembled as she said, "Yeah, Ash is my…"

"Oh really, does that mean the girl is free then? I know a couple of young fellows at town who have been looking for a nice innocent young girl for a while," he said rubbing his chin.

"Weren't you in the middle of telling us about your job?" Brock quickly interrupted.

"Yeah and besides that, May's not for sale," Ash said in a stern voice.

May glanced at Ash and smiled off of his remark. "Thanks Ash," she said to herself, proud of the fact that he stood up for her.

"Relax, I was just kidding," the man said waving his arms cheerfully. "There's too much tension in this room, it was time to lighten the mood!"

May walked over to Ash and decided to stand with the right side of her body behind him, as it made her feel more secure when the man was talking. Ash noticed her standing beside him, and cracked a gentle smile at her.

"Anyway, as you know Devon Corp. studies all sorts of things. From fossils of prehistoric Pokemon, to new and improved Pokeballs, and to various technology that will help shape our future. I'm one of the many professors who live around the region apart from the main Devon offices, as I do field work with Pokemon as well as sending various cargo from my lab to ships at the port. Being the genius that I am, I have those mechanical arms in my lab which helps do my work for me. Unfortunately one of my mechanical arms broke due to circumstances beyond my control…" he stated.

Ash and May grinned nervously knowing that he emphasized the pair of mechanical arms that they broke earlier.

Off their reactions the professor smiled and continued, "But I still have many more of those arms around the lab that continue to hasten production and help me finish my orders quicker than ever before. Some of them have a few kinks to work out, but that's besides the point."

"Hmmm…if you don't mind me asking," Brock asked curiously, "Does this place send the equipment to other Devon facilities around the region?"

"Yep, you're right. Give this man a silver dollar because he hit the nail on the head!" the professor said boastfully, "I'm merely one of Devon's oldest employees who helps manufacture many goods for the company."

"Uh, if you work for Devon then don't they give you those robot arms? I mean, why should we have to pay for something from your company?" Max asked.

"Max!" May scolded while still standing partly behind Ash.

"Gee…I was just asking." Max said sarcastically.

"My my, aren't you the little prodigy?" the professor exclaimed, "Yes you're right, I should be able to easily get another shipment of those arms from Devon…but that'll take about a week or more to get here. In the meantime, I have to do all that work by hand and that won't be pretty."

"So then why did you want to charge us for the arms?" Brock demanded.

"BECAUSE….kids these days need discipline! You can't expect to go away scot-free when destroying another persons' property now can you?" the professor replied.

"So then what ARE you going to have us do?" May asked as she rested her left hand on Ash's shoulder for reassurance.

"Well your boyfriend here brought up the idea of working for me," the elderly man coyly stated.

"Didn't I already tell you that I'm just her friend?" Ash said quickly to avoid embarrassment.

"Well sure…but it looks like your girl likes to rest herself beside you a whole lot," he said slyly.

May's eyes opened wide as she quickly let go of Ash's shoulder and moved her body away from his.

She said feverishly, "I was only a bit nervous that's all. When you started talking about working and paying, I went to my friend because I wanted to know what he thought about the situation…."

May felt her face getting red, as she said softly lowering her face, "I didn't realize I was leaning myself against him."

"Aw, that's sweet how she looks up to you, Mr. Hero," the man said coyly at Ash.

Ash's right eyebrow raised but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Are you really that concerned about our relationship with one another?" Brock snapped, "Instead of talking about that, why don't you just explain to us what we should do to pay for this debt?"

"PUSHY PUSHY are we? OK OK, as I said before my name is "Mr Lenient." I'm willing to go easy on you kids, just to reiterate," he said in a loud voice.

"This guy says the same things over and over again, doesn't he?" Ash whispered to May. She nodded in agreement.

"That's good," Max said quietly hoping for the best.

"How's about this then?" the man said pacing the floors, "It will take about a week for the shipment of a pair of mechanical arms to come in. In the meantime, you can work for me on various chores to pay off your debt."

The groups' faces began to light up in relief.

"Aaaaaaaaaaand….I'll forget all about the $10,000 you owe me. Heck, I won't even charge you for the window. 7 days total, about 5 hours a day of work, and I won't even report the vandalism. Now, how does that sound?"

"That…sounds great," Ash said, relieved.

"Hmmm….it does sound like a pretty good deal myself," Brock said, sizing up the situation.

"Cool, what do you think May?" Max asked his sister.

May staggered a bit nervously as she wasn't fully paying attention, "Oh what?! Oh…uh yeah that IS great. Thank you "Mr. Lenient!" Thank you a lot!"

"Anytime my dear," the professor responded, "Now you kids can sleep in the guest room if you like, and for now you can wander off doing whatever you do in your free time, I won't put you to work until tomorrow. After all, you'll need plenty of sleep for the next day!"

With that the professor opened the door which led back to his lab, he started walking out before he suddenly forgot something and poked his head back in the room.

"Oh and one more thing….PLEASE don't break anything else while you're here? It would make me really, really upset. OK?" he said politely.

"Sure!" Ash smiled.

The man nodded and closed the door.

"Phew…that's over with," Ash said gasping a bit.

May walked over to the armchair and sat herself down. She looked exhausted as she stretched out her legs and arms.

"How do we get ourselves into these messes?" she asked.

"Heh, I'm going to go explore the rest of the lab. It's better than just sitting around here at any rate. The professor didn't say anything about food though, I hope he's going to get us some things to eat. Anyway, anyone want to come with me?" Brock asked.

"Oooh…I do! I want to see some of those other robot arms, they looked so cool!" Max said exuberantly raising his hand.

"Food…?" May uttered as a thought registered in her head. "OH that's right!" she continued as she jumped up.

"What?" Ash asked her.

"The strawberry shortcake, that's what, silly!" she said happily as she clasped her hands.

"That slipped my mind, the game, you won fair and square, May," Ash said.

Ash took off his backpack and took out the piece of cake which was carefully covered in a napkin. He brought it to a long table that was a few feet away from them.

"Yay! I can't believe I almost forgot about eating this!" May said cheerfully as she took out a plastic fork from her fanny pack.

"C'mon Brock, let's go already!" Max said impatiently.

"Oh, ok, see you guys in a bit!" Brock called out to May and Ash.

Brock and Max began to exit the room as May leaped toward the table and quickly pulled out a chair to sit on. Pikachu jumped toward the armchair and started to curl up to rest.

"OMG THIS IS GOING TO TASTE SO GOOD! I love strawberry shortcake!" she said as she prepared to dig in with her fork.

Just as she was about to stick the fork in the cake she noticed that Ash was standing next to her. May looked up and saw Ash's mouth watering. He looked as if he was completely famished and was dying to eat a piece of the cake.

"Uh…Ash? You're drooling on me," May smiled.

"Eh, sorry about that…I'm just remembering how good that cake tasted when we were having it for lunch," Ash said shyly.

May took a glance back at the cake and then looked back up at her friend.

"Do you want a piece?" she asked.

"It…it wouldn't be right. You won it fair and square, you can have it. Besides, it's already a pretty small piece to begin with," he said quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you can eat it. I won't mind," Ash said as he started drooling while staring at the slice of cake again.

May's face beamed.

"Sit down, Ash," May instructed as she pulled a chair next to her.

"Huh?"

"I know you want some, I'm willing to share. Besides, I want to thank you for what you said earlier. The professor is a bit creepy, don't you think?"

"I guess I can see what you mean. He does seem a bit….odd."

May put her hand over the empty chair and rubbed it to tell Ash to sit down, "C'mon, I'll give you some!"

Ash chuckled and sat down next to her. The small slice of strawberry shortcake sat there on the unfolded napkin on the table. Both Ash and May took a glace at it and looked as if it was the greatest thing anyone could eat in the world.

"Wait a minute…we only have one fork," Ash said.

"Oh yeah, just this plastic one," May said as she twirled the fork in her hands.

"Hmmm," Ash thought to himself.

"Wanna use the same fork?" May asked.

"Really?"

"Sure, we'll take turns eating, kind of like a game. I'll take one piece of cake off with the fork and eat it, and then I hand the fork to you and then you take a piece and eat it. Sounds fun?" May giggled as she looked at her friend.

"Awesome, what are we waiting for?" Ash asked in anticipation.

With that being said, May cut off a small piece of cake and brought the fork to her mouth. After she swallowed, she handed the fork to Ash and watched as he took off a piece and tasted it. The two of them delightfully continued to take turns, each breaking off only the smallest piece of cake so that they wouldn't eat too much and leave too little for their friend respectively.

May would occasionally get nervous and drop the fork on the table from switching too much. Ash watched as she put the fork in her mouth, and he could hardly sit still while waiting for her to hand him the fork so he could get the next piece. Not a word did either speak, the only sound that could be heard is low giggling and the sound from tasting the cake. Side by side they sat, sharing the same fork and eating what little cake there was left in fruition.


	4. Is age creeping up on you?

**Chapter 4  
****  
****"Is age creeping up on you?"  
**  
A couple of hours passed in the blink of an eye. It was pitch dark outside with the only light coming in the building from the full moon. Most of the machines inside the lab had been shut down for the night. The lab was mostly silent now, with the only sounds coming from the guest room in which Ash and his friends were staying in.

There were only two beds in the guest room, which May and Max did not hesitate to claim as their own once they laid eyes on them. Ash and Brock were very understanding of their younger traveling companions, so they decided not to start an argument over who would sleep on the beds. Ash and Brock pulled out their sleeping bags from Ash's backpack and laid them down next to the beds. May's bed was on the left closest to the wall, followed by Ash and Brock sleeping in their own sleeping bags in the middle, with Max's bed being on the far right next to the window. Pikachu slept on top of Max's bed by the end so it wouldn't disturb the boy while he was sleeping. Their room was dimly lit by a table lamp behind Ash and Brock's sleeping bags.

Ash and his friends were already in their sleepwear and ready to call it a night. May was sitting upright in her bed with the covers over her legs. She was wearing her light yellow t-shirt which stuck tightly to her body, along with light blue shorts. Ash was resting in his sleeping bag with his hands supporting his head. He was resting in his black orange striped t-shirt, as his sweatshirt was placed on top of his bag which was placed against a table. Brock, who was wearing his green t-shirt, was sitting up in his sleeping bag combing his hair with a plastic comb. Max had already fallen sound asleep in his bed with his body turned toward the window.

Ash turned to Brock, "Why are you combing your hair? It's only going to get messed up when you sleep anyway."

"Well I have to make sure I look good just in case I meet a pretty girl in one of my dreams," Brock said as he finished combing his hair.

"Oh brother," May sighed as she rolled her eyes.

The professor opened the door to the guest room to say goodnight to his guests before he turned in himself. The professor was in blue pajamas with a sleeping cap on, along with rather loose-fitting blue slippers. He held a candleholder with a lit candle stick, which lit up the room as he entered.

He looked at his guests jovially as they were just about ready to get some sleep. Ash, May and Brock smiled at the professor as he entered the room.

"It's 11:30p.m., I hope you kids get some good rest tonight as you'll be pushing plenty of boxes tomorrow morning," he said quietly.

"No problem, Professor, I can barely keep my eyes opened already," Ash said, yawning.

May naively added, "Thanks for the dinner you cooked us Mr. Lenient, I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"Truth is I'm not, my food usually tastes like crap. But hey, it's not like I normally have people to cook for," he responded.

Brock yawned as he laid himself down in his sleeping bag, "8 a.m. tomorrow, right doc?"

"Yes, yes. Just remember not to knock over anything in this room as you get up in the morning. That lamp over there is expensive you know." the professor said pointing toward it.

"Heehee, if I elbow the lamp in my sleep it'll fall right on Ash's head." May jested.

"Gee, thanks a lot. I better move my sleeping bag a bit forward and away from the table. I don't trust her now," Ash said sarcastically as he moved his sleeping bag a few inches forward.

"I'm being totally seriously you know. You know how I hate things of mine touched or well…broken. And you kids certainly do not have a good track record. Now start counting Mareeps already, or whatever you do to fall asleep," the professor said, scratching his right armpit.

The sounds of Max snoring gained the attention of everyone in the room.

"Looks like my brother has the right idea," May said looking over at Max snoring away in his bed.

Ash and Brock looked over at Max and smiled contently.

"Yeah, yeah. Why am I still standing in here anyway?" the professor asked himself.

He then took his fingers and covered the flame of the candle and walked toward the door. As he left the room, May slid down in her bed and rested her face on the pillow.

"Well tomorrow's our first day of work. How many days do we have to work for? 5…6…?" Ash wondered.

"Seven days," Brock stated.

"I hope he gives me light things to carry, I'm not made for manual labor," May said.

"That's interesting to hear, May, I'll probably tell the Professor to give you the heavy stuff on purpose then," Ash said looking over to his left.

"Ha, stop messing with me Ash," May snorted as she turned her head around to the other side to rest.

Ash stared back up at the ceiling while supporting his head with his hands. He still felt rather affectionate toward May since she shared that last piece of strawberry shortcake with him. He apparently noticed May felt the same way, as she started teasing him quite a bit for the rest of the day after they finished their cake. Ash started to close his eyes, preparing himself for days of work…

The next morning arrived as Ash and his friends were getting ready for the Professor to come into their room. Ash and Brock had already taken their showers, and were fully dressed waiting for May and Max.

In the bathroom, May was drying Max's hair with the hairdryer. Both were fully clothed and almost ready to head outside. She was holding him in place by combing his hair with her left hand while moving the hair dryer with her right.

"C'mon, May," Max frantically screamed while pushing his sisters hands away, "My hair is dry already! Let me go now!"

"Stay still," May reprimanded, "I'm not having my little brother walk around looking like a slob. Your hair is still standing up in the back here…time to wet it down!"

"Gah...c'mon!" Max said frustrated.

May then licked her fingers and placed them down on the strands of hair sticking up on Max's head. She then combed his hair down, a bit too harshly and forcefully, which caused her brother to scream.

"STOP ALREADY!" he yelled.

Ash and Brock looked toward the open bathroom door, smiling.

"Heh, poor Max," Brock said.

"Makes me happy that I don't have any siblings," Ash boasted cheerfully.

Max then ran out of the bathroom and stood next to Ash out of breath.

May walked out of the bathroom door to see her friends standing there looking at her. She was annoyed as she put her hands on her hips and walked toward her brother.

"It's bad enough that I have to make sure you take a bath everyday, it's even worse that you still don't comb your own hair!" May scolded her brother.

"Oh forget it, sis, I'll comb my hair on my own someday," Max said, clinging to Ash's leg.

"Ah, the trials of an older sister. I like it," Brock said, scratching his chin.

"He acts like it's such a big deal," May said bragging, "I started taking care of myself when I was seven!"

"So that's only one year younger than I am now! Besides, I know Mom used to comb your hair too sometimes," Max said defensively, letting go of Ash's leg.

"That only happened when my hair got frizzy," a snooty May replied.

"You must have been really independent when you were younger, eh May?" Ash asked.

"Sure. I had to since well…I grew up rather eh…quickly…" May blushed.

"Yeah, my sister was too embarrassed having Mom bathe her when she already looked older herself. I remember Mom talking to her about some kind of changes girls go through…"

"MAX!" May interrupted.

"What?" Max asked naively.

"So I matured quickly and got a head start on most other girls my age, big deal! It's not like you have to tell Ash and Brock that," May said cocking her head.

"Uh…" Ash muttered.

Brock smiled as if he tried to pretend that he didn't know what May was talking about.

Suddenly, the door slammed wide open and almost knocked Ash and Max down as they were right in front of it.

"WELL HELLLOOOOOOOOOO CHILDREN!" the Professor shouted dubiously.

"Uh…hi." May grinned, waving her hand.

"Happy day! Today is the day I put you kids into hours of painstakingly harsh and cruel child labor!" he stated with a huge smile.

The group stared at him with blank expressions.

"Hoo! Just kidding my little buddies," the Professor laughed, patting his belly.

"Great, so what's first?" Ash asked enthusiastically.

20 minutes later, Ash regretted asking the Professor for work so nicely. He was gripping onto two huge boxes stacked on top of each other which was filled with machinery. Ash's back was stretched back due to how heavy the weight was.

"Gah…just got to carry this a…little…further…" he said grinding his teeth.

An out of breath Pikachu walked next to him carrying its own little box.

"The-----re," Ash gasped as he placed both boxes on the ground.

Pikachu then placed it's little box on top of the big ones.

Ash leaned against the two boxes and wiped the sweat off his forehead, "Gee, this guy is going to work us to death."

Ash then felt the boxes being picked up behind him which almost made him fall over as he was leaning against them.

"Whoa…" he gasped as he stepped away from the boxes.

Another set of mechanical arms picked up the two boxes and placed it on a conveyor belt behind them.

"The Professor has so many of these arms, too bad the one we broke happened to be in the area that needs the most shipments. Jeez," Ash sighed.

Pikachu tried to reason with its trainer as it patted his leg, "Pikapi".

"Well…might as well go get the next two boxes," Ash said reluctantly.

Ash walked into the next room and saw May mopping the floors.

"May, you really lucked out with such an easy job!" Ash exclaimed.

"Are you kidding? Did you know what I was doing before he told me to mop the floors?" May said out of breath.

"Let me guess, he had you wash his dishes?"

"NO! He had me going up 20-foot ladders carrying a huge sack of machinery on a bag tied around my back. The weight of that machinery almost pulled my back down and nearly had me tip over on the ladder! Good thing I only had to do that once though before he told me to mop the floors. Too bad now that I'm done mopping the floors I gotta go lift some more boxes again….ugh," May sighed.

"Wow, that is something."

"Excuse my language but I felt like I was carrying a huge sack of crap," May said, resting the mop against the wall.

"I guess there's a lesson in this somewhere," Ash said as he walked with May across the room.

"Let me guess, don't throw frisbees' into some guy's window and then break a pair of robot arms? Yeah, I got that," May said smiling at her friend.

"You know, I don't think we ever found out the Professor's name," Ash realized.

"Mr. Lenient is good enough. Besides, I don't even think he knows OUR names!"

"We never told him, May?"

"Not as far as I remember. Kind of funny when you think about it. We're working for a guy we don't even know, and he's making us work when he doesn't even know who we are!" May said.

Ash, May and Pikachu continued walking next to each other until they came upon a hallway with glass windows. Ash and May looked through the glass windows which showed the main floor below them. The main floor had all the machinery and mechanical arms that they saw when they first entered the lab. May continued looking aimlessly until she caught eye of her brother.

"What!?" May shouted.

"Huh?"

"My brother, look what he's going!" May pointed.

Ash looked through the window at Max. Max was running along the conveyor belts laughing while placing small metal cylinders into their respective holes. Ash noticed that Max seemed to really enjoy what he was doing, as he seemed to think running along moving conveyor belts was fun.

Max jumped off the conveyor belt and grabbed a whole bunch of metal cylinders from an open cardboard box. He zipped over to a pair of mechanical arms and starting handing the cylinders to both hands.

"Here you go hand #1!" Max said laughing as he placed a cylinder in the left hand.

"And here you go hand #2!" he continued placing the cylinder in the other hand.

The mechanical arm then took both cylinders and placed it into a metal machine behind it. Max continued giving the hands all the cylinders he was holding with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh great, I'm here straining my back and my brother thinks this is an amusement park!" May said fatigued.

"Wow that DOES look like fun. I want to do that!" an excited Ash said.

"You know one of these days I'm going to figure out how my brother gets all the easy ways out," May contemplated.

"C'mon," Ash said quietly, reassuring her by placing his hand on her shoulder, "Let's go get those next boxes together. I'm sure it won't be as bad if two people were carrying the weight instead of just one."

May smiled, "You're right, even though it'll probably take twice as long since you have to go back and carry your stuff too."

The two of them and Pikachu continued walking out of the hallway and down a stairway.

"I'd give anything to be a little kid again," May said, walking down the steps with Ash and Pikachu behind her.

"Jealous of your brother I see?" Ash snickered.

"Oh be quiet. You wouldn't know as you have no siblings," May replied.

"Yeah, but I can imagine it."

"I think I'm growing up too quickly, Ash….I barely remember what it was like being a kid and I'm going to already be a teen in a few years. And then I'll just get older and older and start getting wrinkles and whatever else happens to old people. Hmmm, maybe I have a wrinkle already," May said depressed.

"Don't worry, you look really cute the way you are now," Ash complimented.

"Really?" May glanced at Ash smiling, as she stroked her hair.

"Well…uh…I mean you look nice of course…maybe cute was too strong a word," Ash said coughing.

May's eyebrows lowered as they exited the stairway, "Maybe nice was too weak a word."

They continued walking along a white hallway on the main floor which led to the Professor's living quarters.

"Maybe you're trying to ask me something?" Ash said slyly.

"Maybe I am," May replied.

"Or maybe you're still annoyed that you have to work for another six days yet," Ash stated.

"That may be correct. And maybe we better stop talking and get back to work now that I think about it."

"That's a lot of "maybe's." Ash said glancing at May.

May giggled as they came upon the door to the living quarters. Ash pushed it opened as May and Pikachu walked behind them.

"The Professor said that there are more unopened boxes here in the back closet," Ash said.

"Go bring them out, I need to rest a bit," an exhausted May said as she plopped herself down on the Professor's favorite armchair.

Ash sighed as he walked toward the closet and began to rummage through the stuff inside. May stretched out her legs as her eyes began to wander around the room. Her eyes then caught glimpse of a couple of metallic gun-esque looking items along the upper shelves of the room. She remembered glancing at those objects when they first entered the Professor's living quarters yesterday, but this was the first time she got a really good look at them.

"Those look like some crazy futuristic gun thingies that you would find in a sci-fi movie. I wonder if those are real or not," May said to herself.

Ash continued looking through the closet as he found the box he was looking for. He then opened it and looked for what he needed inside.

May's curiosity got the best of her as she got up and walked toward the shelf with two metallic high-tech guns on top of it. The gun on the right grabbed May's attention, as it had a futuristic platinum handle, but with a dish like antenna on the end. It had no trigger on it however, which made it seem like a device for something rather than a gun.

"Hmmmm," May said looking at the device on the right, "That looks like a ray gun of some sort…but the professor wouldn't keep anything dangerous like this laying about in the open would he?"

Despite her better judgment, May lifted the right platinum toned gun off the shelf. She then held the device in her hands examining it from all sides. There was nothing to press or hold down on the entire device except a small red button on the inner handle. May continued to examine it as Ash came back out from the closet, dragging out a huge cardboard box filled with machinery. Ash noticed May holding something as he walked up to her.

"Where'd you get that?" Ash asked.

"It was up along the wall, it looks like a device of some sort, doesn't it?" May asked.

"I guess so, it kinda looks like a toy, but I wouldn't do anything with it as we don't know what it's for," Ash said.

"Hm, you're right. I might as well put this back before I accidentally break it and the Professor yells at me," May sneered.

"Yeah, then he'll really be on our case again," Ash said putting his hands on his hips.

May stood up on her toes and reached up with her hand to place the device back on the shelf. May pushed the gun back but ended up pushing it to the right opened side of the shelf too much, which made it fall down onto the floor!

"Oh crap!" May exclaimed.

"Nice going, I hope it isn't broken," Ash added.

As May was about to reach down to pick it up she noticed the dish of the gun began to glow a yellow hue.

"Huh?" May said as she kneeled before it.

Pikachu stood on the armchair, watching what was happening from a distance.

"That ray…it's getting brighter!" Ash said astonished, as he stood behind May.

Suddenly, the yellow hue began to shine across the dish of the gun, as it began emancipating light toward May and Ash.

"Ugh, that light is bright," May staggered, shielding her eyes.

The sides of the dish began to completely light up now, as it fired a beam of light directly at Ash and May!

"Ah!" Ash and May exclaimed as the light completely engulfed them.

A worried Pikachu shouted, "PIKA PIKACHU!"

After a few more seconds, the light then began to fade as the gun seemed like it was shutting down. Pikachu was finally able to see again as the light had been so bright that it also needed to shield it's eyes.

Pikachu looked ahead and didn't see Ash and May's bodies! It jumped off the armchair and looked ahead as the dust cleared. It then saw that there were two bodies there…and they were Ash and May…but they were….smaller…and looked younger…

Pikachu then gasped as it finally saw the effects of the ray gun…

…Ash and May had been turned into year old infants!


	5. Chibi war!

**Chapter 5 **  
**  
****"****Chibi**** war!"  
**  
Pikachu gasped again as it couldn't believe its eyes. Sitting in front of it were Ash and May as year old infants. For some odd reason, their clothes shrank with them as well. Their clothes fit their infant like bodies just as well as it did before, causing no trouble for the youngsters to move.

Ash sat upright with his legs forward. His face was chubbier and fuller than it was before. His hair stuck out in the same directions only thinner in design. His skin was lighter toned as well. His body had more baby fat but he still looked relatively thin.

May shared many of the same characteristics as Ash had. Her face consisted of more baby fat, and her hair cascaded down her face rather than sticking out to the sides like her older self. She had red, rosy cheeks under her rather large sapphire eyes.

Resembling year old infants instead of newborns, Ash and May could still do many things that other year old babies could do. They could crawl, attempt to stand, express emotion, reach for objects, play with toys, clap, and even laugh and giggle. However, it became apparent that while Ash and May's minds were de-aged, they still had some inkling as to who they were. They couldn't remember how to speak, where they were, or have any memory of their respective lives and adventures. But they did seem to faintly remember familiar people and objects, as not all had been lost during this predicament.

Ash and May looked wide-eyed around the room as they tried to comprehend where they were. The first thing Ash did was pull on his hat. Apparently, infant Ash didn't like the feeling of a hat on his head, as he struggled to pull on the brim of the hat.

May was sitting on her knees, watching Ash tug on his cap. She glanced down on her skirt which covered her shorts. The white color seemed to stand out to her, as she started pulling on her skirt with both her small chubby hands.

Ash was getting a little frustrated with himself, as the cute baby tugged as hard as his little arms could to try and take off the hat. His mouth opened wide as his teeth grinded each other in his struggle. Finally the hat came loose and the baby managed to pull it off. Ash held onto the brim and looked at the upside down hat. His face was full of curiosity, as he stared blankly into the open space of the hat.

May picked her head up from pulling on her skirt and saw Ash holding his cap. May expressed a giggle watching her friend. She seemed to recall him, as a familiar feeling of trust and friendship washed over her as she stared at him.

Ash glanced up at her and threw his hat to the side. This made her giggle again. The boy smiled as she also felt familiar to him, he felt attached to her as if they were bound together by warmth and familiarity.

Pikachu finally snapped out of its gaze and ran up to the two infants. Ash and May stared up at Pikachu, curiously.

"Pika pika…pika Pi!" Pikachu said astonished while waving it's arms.

Ash and May quickly turned to each other as they expressed sounds in their own baby language. They both got on their knees and started crawling toward Pikachu. Ash and May had huge smiles across their faces as they started touching Pikachu with their grubby hands.

Ash rested one hand on Pikachu's red cheek as the other touched his ear. May crawled behind Pikachu and place her hands on the top of it's head. Pikachu stood still as it didn't want to suddenly scare the two infants, but it tried to console and be gentle with them. Ash and May laughed as they continued petting and pulling on Pikachu from all sides.

"Googah!" May expressed with joy as she closed her eyes and moved her hands across Pikachu's head.

Pikachu gently smiled and muttered, "Piiiika."

Ash suddenly pulled harshly on Pikachu's right ear.

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted in pain.

The Pokemon then quickly moved itself out of Ash's grip. May almost fell forward as she was leaning on Pikachu's back. Ash's most trusted Pokemon looked at the two infants with disbelief. It knew it had to get help.

May cocked her head toward Ash's, and with her hand she gently pushed across his check. Ash just sat there staring blankly at Pikachu as May curiously continued to press on Ash's check with her fingers.

Pikachu finally thought up a plan. It motioned with its hands to stay still, as it needed to run to get help.

"Pikaaa, pika!" it said gently trying to tell Ash and May not to go anywhere.

May, without reason, continued pushing on Ash's check while the two of them looked forward at Pikachu. May was on her knees pushing herself forward while Ash didn't budge an inch, as he didn't seem to care that May was leaning against him.

Pikachu quickly turned around and started running out of the room while turning back to make sure that Ash and May weren't going anywhere. Once it saw that May and Ash were too preoccupied touching each other, it quickly turned its head and ran out of the room. Pikachu ran as fast as it could across the hallway, hoping to find Brock, Max or the Professor and ask for help.

In the living quarters, the two infants continued to play with each other, giggling by pushing each other over. May started pulling on the hood of Ash's sweatshirt from behind, in which Ash started making humorous choking sounds. Two tears formed in Ash's eyes as he felt himself being pulled backward. May pulled so hard that Ash ended up falling backward onto her lap. The small infant had his head on her lap looking up at her blankly. The girl however didn't stop, as she continued pulling as hard as she could on the hood. Ash couldn't take it anymore as he tried to pull the bottom of his sweatshirt up in the same direction that May pulled it. The young infant started crying as he couldn't get his head out of the hole of his sweatshirt. After a few rounds of tugging, the sweatshirt started to become loose, as May successfully pulled it off the infant and dropped it on the floor. Ash rubbed his eyes and sniveled a bit after the torment that his infant friend put him through. He noticed that he was now wearing a black shirt with an orange stripe. Ash sat up and poked at the orange stripe on his shirt before turning on his knees.

His attention quickly shifted, as he then started to crawl toward the door. May saw that her companion was leaving the room, and quickly started to crawl after him. The two infants were crawling out through the open door with nobody watching. Ash poked his head curiously in the hallway, and then turned right. May crawled right behind him, following his lead, as some instinct told her to stay close to him. Next to the railing they crawled, as the two infants looked off the railing at the noisy machines operating below.

May stopped in her tracks and gripped a hold of the railings to try and stand up. Her legs wobbled as she struggled to keep her balance. As she wrapped her hands around the railing bars tightly, infant May grinned and looked below. A very proud May started marching her feet against the floor. Unbeknownst to her, Ash continued crawling and didn't stop where she had. May noticed that her friend wasn't with her, as she frantically let go of the bars and started crawling to find him again. Her legs and arms pressed against the floor as fast as her little body would carry her.

"Goooggo!" she expressed as she tried looking for her friend.

She came across an open doorway in the hallway and to her surprise Ash was in the room! May giggled as she crawled into the room happy to be reunited with him.

Ash and May were in a small breakfast nook, with white toned walls and a single four legged table in the center of the room. The table wasn't too high up above the floor, as the legs only left the top of the table three feet above the floor. On the very edge of the table was a half-bitten chocolate chip cookie laying on top of a folded napkin. To the left of the room was a small refrigerator, as well as several stools along the sides of the walls that could be brought to the table.

Ash crawled toward the legs of the table eagerly. The small infant noticed the smell of a baked chocolate chip cookie which lay above. The infant curiously wanted to grab it, as he didn't quite know if it was food, he just wanted to hold it. May sat on her rear a few feet away as she watched if he could reach for his prize, as her wide opened sapphire eyes focused intently on Ash.

Ash gripped onto the leg and successfully managed to stand. Just like May was when she was leaning against the railing, Ash was quite wobbly on his legs. The young naïve boy looked up as the top of the table was too high for him to see the cookie up close. He bit his lower lip as he saw the edge of the napkin leaning off the table. Figuring that the cookie was probably resting on top of the napkin, Ash extended his little arms to the tip of the napkin. His fingers brushed across the edge of the napkin as he couldn't quite get a grip of it. May watched quietly and intently as if he was trying to perform an amazingly difficult feat.

Ash started whimpering as he still couldn't grab onto the napkin in which the cookie rested upon. In a rather sudden impulse, May shouted some baby gibberish to try and support Ash reaching the napkin. Ash stood on his tippy-toes and managed to grab the edge of the napkin as his face beamed with delight. With one tug of his hand he managed to pull the napkin off the table, but he pulled it too fast that only the napkin came falling down instead of the cookie, which continued to rest on top of the table. Ash fell down on his bottom as the huge folded napkin fell over his face.

"Heehee!" May giggled and clapped as she watched Ash sitting there with a napkin on top of his head.

The large napkin rested on top of him and extended down his entire head, leaving only one open spot for his left eye to see May giggling. Ash felt amused that May was laughing at him as he pulled the napkin off his head and placed it on the floor. The young infant tried to stand again only to accidentally bang his head on the edge of the table!

"Gagaah!" Ash cried as he fell back down on his rear.

Ash started hysterical crying from the pain of hitting his head. He started getting frustrated and picked up the napkin and only gently threw it to his right while tears ran down his face.

In a sharp contrast to his emotion, May sat there hysterically laughing at the young boy. Her huge smile and rosy cheeks beamed as she shut her eyes, smiling and giggling. The girl started clapping as she watched Ash try to throw the napkin in frustration.

"Teeheee…heheheee!" May laughed, clasping her hands.

Ash continued crying as he tried to stand himself up again for another round at the cookie. The boy reached with his hand over the table, trying to feel it. When he pulled the napkin holding the cookie before, it moved the cookie a little closer to the edge of the table before the napkin fell completely off. With tears in his eyes and a disgruntled face, Ash was more determined than ever to achieve his goal.

May stopped giggling as she crawled closer while watching her infant friend at work. Ash's hands moved along a soft and crumbly surface on top of the table…he stopped crying as he realized that must have been the cookie he was feeling! He gripped the cookie tightly as it fell off the table and onto the floor.

Ash looked over and sat himself back down on the ground while May sat next to him. He picked up the cookie with his two hands and started examining the texture with his fingers, which is something babies usually do with new objects. He held the half-bitten cookie in his hands and brought it to his mouth to nibble upon. May stared reluctantly.

Ash brought the cookie back down from his mouth and smiled. It tasted good, and that's all a baby needed to know. Once May saw Ash enjoy the cookie, she wanted a piece of it too. She grabbed the cookie with her left hand while Ash still firmly gripped onto the other ends with his hands. The two frustrated babies each tried to pull the cookie away from each other.

"Gogoeeeheeeo!" an angry May shouted.

"Nonononononono!" Ash said, sniveling.

The two infants tugged on the cookie back and forth with all their might. May then used her right hand to push Ash's face away so he would let go of the cookie. She poked him hard which made his grip loosen, as May pulled the cookie away from him.

"Heehee!" May giggled as she now held the half-bitten cookie in her hands.

Ash started whimpering again as he saw a very proud May hold the cookie above her head. She brought the cookie to her mouth and started chomping away happily. Ash sat there crying helplessly. May noticed Ash crying but didn't seem to care, as she selfishly continued to eat the cookie while Ash whined hysterically. As young teens, May didn't hesitate to ask Ash if he would like to have a piece of her cake, but as infants, May wanted the sweets all to herself. She gobbled up the entire chocolate cookie hastily as Ash cried even more.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, Pikachu had finally found the others.

"Where are you taking us Pikachu?" Brock asked, running.

"Yeah, what's the hurry?" Max asked, running beside Brock.

"Will you two slow down, some of us are not as young as we used to be! And I have a medical condition!" the Professor yelled, trying to catch up.

Pikachu stopped in the hallway next to an open door. Brock and Max stood behind it wondering why Pikachu had brought them there.

"Pika PIKA?!" Pikachu shouted as it entered the room looking for Ash and May.

It looked to the left. They weren't there. It looked to the right. They weren't there. Pikachu gasped.

The Professor finally stopped running as he reached the doorway of the living quarters.

"Well that was my exercise for the month….gah." the Professor said panting.

Max walked toward the center of the room and spotted Ash's hat and sweatshirt, reduced in size.

"What…I mean…this looks like Ash's!" Max exclaimed, picking up the small hat.

The Professor looked up nervously.

"Pikachu Pika!" Pikachu tried to explain as it held Ash's sweatshirt above it's head.

"Oh no…" the Professor said, dismayed.

"That's Ash's sweatshirt! But how in the world did it get so small?" Brock exclaimed, examining the sweatshirt in his hands.

"Don't tell me…dammit!" the Professor signed as he slapped his forehead.

Pikachu looked to it's right and saw the small metallic gun was still on the ground. Pikachu ran over to it and held it in it's hands.

"Pika pikachu, pika pi Pikachu!" it said waving the gun.

"What in the world is that?" Brock asked.

"CAN'T I LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE FOR ONCE WITHOUT THEM GETTING INTO TROUBLE!?!" The Professor shouted, stomping his feet.

He marched toward Pikachu.

"Give me that!" he said as he snatched the metallic gun away from the Pokemon.

"Professor…what's…wrong?" Max asked reluctantly.

The Professor didn't respond. He examined the gun and looked to the side of it. He snapped off a metal compartment that showed various power gauges underneath. Three bars were stacked on top of each other, the top two bars were filled with yellow, but the bottom bar was depleted.

"Great. Just great," he said with discontent.

"Professor, do you know why this sweatshirt and that hat resemble Ash's?" Brock asked as he held the sweatshirt in his left hand.

"Yes. I suppose the girl got zapped too," he said, scratching his forehead.

"What…my sister? What happened?" Max asked nervously.

"PIkaaa---pi!" Pikachu stretched out it's arms. Pikachu then imitated an explosion sound and dropped itself to the floor.

"So you saw it happen eh? Well…it looks like the boy and your sister have managed to de-age themselves. Judging from the readings on this panel, it happened only a few minutes ago," the Professor said, tapping the gauge on the gun.

"Come again?" Brock asked.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? THIS GUN. Those two kids touch said gun. Said gun was not to be touched. Kids don't listen. Kids touch anyway. Said gun zaps them. Then they get small….reeeeeeaaaaal small…like itsy bitsy small!" the Professor said disgruntled, waving the gun in the air.

"My sister and Ash…got shrunk?" Max said in disbelief, staring down at Ash's hat.

"Not quite, this gun turned them back into infants of about a year old. Hmmm, what were their names again? Ah yes…think of Ash and May, only bite-sized. They're now little itsy bitsy cutesy babies," the Professor said with a straight face.

"Wait…really…? But is that possible?" Brock demanded.

"Of course. After all you're talking to a living-walking genius here who works for Devon company. I managed to create a device that decelerates growth rate, and in fact turns people back several years until when they were just infants. I created this device for…a certain reason..… but I never dared show it to my company or anybody else…but…I guess…it works," he stated.

"If this is true….why did their clothes shrink with them?" Max asked.

"What are you majoring in science, young man? It would take too long to explain, but the device also shrinks whatever the user is wearing so it still fits when they're de-aged."

"It seems hard to digest all this information. But I can't help but believe it by staring at Ash's shrunken clothes. It's amazing that such a device even exists…something like that could change the world," Brock said, astonished.

"Yes I suppose it would, yeppers it would, or something or other….but HEY! Don't we have more important things to worry about? Like WHERE exactly those two rascals ran off to?" the Professor said.

Brock grunted, "They must have crawled out of this room!"

"Whoa, we're dealing with a real mind here. Is stating the obvious something you like to do often?" the Professor asked sarcastically.

"Pikachu, did you see where they went?" Max asked frantically.

"Piiiika," Pikachu shook it's head.

"C'mon!" Brock motioned to Max as he started running out of the room.

"Hey wait!" Max said running, still holding Ash's hat.

Pikachu followed behind them as the Professor continued to examine the gun.

When the room was empty, he held the device in the palm of his hands and gazed solemnly.

"So it actually still does work. Its been a few years…I can't believe it. I'm astonished it never broke down after all this time. It just better function until the day I need it….those kids…" he muttered as he lowered the gun.

~*~*~*

Ash wiped his watery eyes as May sat there with chocolate all over her mouth.

"Teehee!" she giggled to herself.

She started wiping the chocolate off her mouth with her elbow. She then grinned at Ash as if she were mocking him.

Ash's emotions suddenly shifted. Instead of being sad, the infant started to get infuriated. The infant looked angry as it gazed at the greedy baby.

"Eh?" May looked nervously at him.

Ash quickly moved toward her and pulled on a lock of her hair.

"Aaaaaah!" May cried as Ash pulled tightly.

In a menacing gaze, Ash continued to pull on May's hair for eating the cookie he worked so hard to pull off the table.

"Noononnonono!" May shouted as she started slapping Ash in the face.

In a little chibi war of hair pulling and slapping, the two infants continued inflicting pain on one another while shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Gyaaaooo!" Ash screamed while pulling her hair.

"Yaaaargooo!" May shouted as she continued to push him and slap his face.

Various high pitched screams could be heard as the babies continued to slap, poke, and pull each other in a rage.

"That…noise…" Brock said as he turned in the hallway.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu pointed.

Brock, Max and Pikachu ran up to the doorway that was opened. They looked to the right as the two infants were in the process of beating each other up.

"Oh my god," Brock gasped.

Ash and May suddenly stopped fighting as they saw familiar faces standing in the doorway. They quickly let go of each other and stared naïvely at their friends with wide-open eyes.

"I can't believe it, I now…have a little sister! I sure hope Mom and Dad don't find out about this!" Max gasped.


	6. Ash and May, bitesized!

**Chapter 6**  
**  
****"Ash and May....bite-sized!"  
**  
"…May?" Max called out weakly to his infant sister.

May squinted at her brother trying to remember who he was. The infant crawled a bit toward him before stopping half way.

"Does…she remember?" Brock wondered.

The Professor stepped in the doorframe but did not enter the room. He sized up the situation rather quickly, but didn't want to interfere. For him, this was not just a moment to see if the two infants would remember their friends, but to him it was an experiment. He watched carefully, mentally jotting down in his mind every single thing infant Ash and May did. His face was stern without glee, the once jovial professor stood there completely serious, and almost ominous in appearance.

"May…it's me…your little…uh…I mean your BIG brother...boy did that sound weird to say," Max said sighing.

May's eyes twitched as Max slowly walked up to her holding out his hands. Ash sat there gazing curiously as he watched Max walk over to May. Brock's attention was completely on May, he didn't want to distract Max and May by calling out to Ash. He also felt very uncertain.

Max held out his left hand and opened his palm in front of his infant sisters' face. The young girl looked at his palm and then looked up at her brother. Max nodded with a smile in order to encourage her.

May, carefully, and slowly, placed her two hands on her brothers opened palm. Max felt the cold hands of his infant sister touching his opened hand and barely let out a breath. Everyone else in the room continued to stare, Brock, the Professor, Ash and Pikachu, each waiting for their individual questions to be answered. Not a sound could be a heard, the entire moment between May and Max was considered the moment of truth for all of them.

May pressed on her brother's palm with her hands. Max then held out his right hand and opened that one next to his left. The two opened hands almost bewildered May, as the young infant kept moving her head from one hand to the next, as if she didn't know what to do.

The girl placed both her little hands into her brothers' bigger hands. Max continued to smile staring into his little sisters' sapphire eyes. Suddenly, May lifted her hands back in the air and slapped them back down on Max's two hands. Her uncertain gaze shifted into a huge smile, as the young infant playfully began squeezing both her brothers' hands.

"Mux?" May asked as she looked at her brother.

"Yes, it's me Max!" Max exclaimed.

"Ehah!" May yelled as she leaped into her brothers arms.

"Whoa!" Max said as he quickly held his sister in his arms before he dropped her.

May snuggled her face into her brothers chest and gripped his shoulders with her hands. Max felt a bit strange holding a baby, let alone his baby sister, as he was taken back by holding her and feeling her grip onto him.

Ash grinned, "Ahahaha!"

The room lit up with laughter as all previous doubt had been washed away.

"Looks like they do have some of their old memory…." the Professor muttered.

Ash quickly crawled over to Brock and started tugging on his leg.

"Hey down there, how's it going Ash?" Brock asked, cheerfully.

Ash looked up, smiling as Pikachu walked next to him.

"Haha, your hands are so cold May!" Max chuckled as his sister started placing her hands on his face.

The young infant girl playfully rubbed her cheek against her brothers' face. Max returned the emotion by rubbing his cheek against his little sisters'.

"Mux…hehehehoho!" she repeated, giggling.

Brock bent down and picked Ash up, holding him at arms length in front of him.

"Remember me? Blaaargh!" Brock teased, sticking his tongue out and making a funny face.

"Hoohoo!" Ash replied as he grabbed Brock's tongue while it was sticking out.

"Whey!" Brock tried to say as Ash held onto his tongue.

"Hahahahahaa! Ash has your tongue!" Max said happily while carrying his infant sister.

"Asssh, I nweed tha to speek proppperly," Brock tried to say.

Ash gripped Brock's tongue with both his hands, and erupted with laughter as he tugged hard on it trying to pull it out of Brock's mouth.

"Looks like the boy had a strong grip!" The Professor said, surprised.

"Pikachu," Pikachu laughed at it's trainer.

"Heyz c'mon leth go!" Brock said as he placed Ash down on the ground.

Ash let go of Brock's tongue and looked at his wet hands from the saliva.

"Gah, I don't think I've ever had someone grab my tongue before. I guess I'll think twice before sticking my tongue out next time," Brock said, relieved.

Max felt his infant sister getting too heavy to hold and decided to place her down next to Ash.

"Wow, you're pretty heavy for an infant May," Max said.

Ash took a look at his wet hands from Brock's saliva again. The boy looked to the right where May was sitting next to him, and deliberately wiped his hands all over May's clothes.

"Wagaoooh?" May said annoyed as Ash wiped his wet hands all over her shirt.

"Heeeeheee," Ash said pointing and laughing.

"Noonoo!" May shouted angrily as she pushed Ash's chest with all her might.

The force of the girls' push was so strong that it knocked Ash backward and he banged his head on the floor. Ash whimpered as tears formed in his eyes.

"Hey, you two aren't supposed to fight," Brock said bending down.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!" Ash yelled, hysterical crying.

May had a coy smile as she turned her head away from Ash.

"Hey, Ash, it's OK. She didn't mean it," Brock said, sitting the boy up and patting his back.

Ash's crying started to fade as he continued to snivel looking at May with contempt.

"Wow, my sister really must like beating Ash up," Max said, putting his hand behind his head.

"WELL NOW, this is all fine and dandy except for one thing!" The Professor exclaimed.

"What's that?" Max asked.

"Well….the fact that your two friends are infants for goodness sakes!" the Professor slapped his forehead.

Max, Brock and Pikachu looked toward the Professor. Brock placed Ash's small sweatshirt and hat on the table in the middle of the room.

"Gee, I almost got too carried away by seeing how cute the two of them were," Brock said, "You know a way to reverse this…I hope."

"Yeah, you can turn Ash and May back to normal right…with that gun thingie?" Max added quickly.

The Professor looked down slyly as he saw Ash and May crawling around the room in opposite directions.

"I suppose so," the Professor mused, "My invention definitely should be able to reverse the process. Being the brilliant genius that I am, I always have an emergency plan for every single one of my machines in this lab. Buuutt…"

"What, what is it?" Brock asked.

Ash and May started circulating around the room in opposite directions, naively. They were crawling quickly on their hands and knees, with their heads looking at the floor and not watching where they were going. The two of them would end up meeting each other as they started crawling in the same direction in an oval pattern.

"The gun needs to be recharged. See this panel?" the Professor asked as he pointed to a yellow energy bar on the inside panel of the gun.

"What do you recharge it with? What even powers that device?" Brock asked.

"Orange juice," the Professor responded.

"Really?"

"No."

"Oh."

"You need to work on your sarcasm detector, boy," the Professor said coyly.

"Huh?" Max asked.

Ash and May eventually came full circle not watching where they were going and bumped heads into one another.

"GAHH!" Ash screamed, brushing his hand against his black hair.

"Aargh!" May complained as she rubbed her forehead in pain.

The Professor rolled his eyes, "In all seriousness, this device is powered by super secret formula #69. Since I never planned to use this device until I uh…needed it…I never needed to keep another power source ready, at least during the last several decades anyway."

Ash and May shrugged off their minor bruises and started rolling on the floor, giggling in opposite directions in the background.

"Wheeeeeeeeee!" the two infants said, playfully rolling on their backs.

"And since you're acting so calm you must know how to get this stuff right?" Brock asked.

"Yep. I'll just have to do a #69 for it, and the device should be back at full power. There is a way to reverse them back to the ages they originally were once I power up the gun again," the Professor said, yawning.

"You can make that formula? What's it made out of?" Max asked.

"TOP SECRET! I know if I told you kids you'd end up taking the ideas for my invention and getting the fame and credit for it. My invention, my genius at work, so I'll just make the formula in seeeecret," the Professor said.

"Uh fine, as long as it works and turns them back the way they were, I don't really care," Brock responded.

"Of course you do realize that this mishap means that you kids will have to work extra hours for every moment spent off the job?"

"Gee, I kinda forgot we were supposed to be working for you. I was actually having fun doing my share of the work," Max said.

"And you also….oh MY GOD WHAT THE HELL!? WHO TOUCHED THAT?" The Professor yelled at the top of his lungs.

Ash and May stopped rolling in their tracks as they sat up from the loud pitched scream.

"What? What's wrong now?" Brock asked, nervously.

The Professor ran to the table in the middle of the room and noticed the napkin was on the floor. The Professor picked up the napkin and looked around suspiciously.

"What in the world happened to my chocolate chip cookie? Seriously, I can't even leave my snacks on the table without you people eating it behind my back?! Can't an old man ever get a break with you kids? Which one of you ate my cookie?" The Professor shouted.

"Buuuuurrp," May burped and smiled naively.

The Professor's jaw dropped on the floor. He then walked slowly up to infant May and placed his face in front of hers.

"You're a handful, kiddo, you know that?" he said.

May's eyebrows raised as she suddenly squeezed the Professor's big round nose.

"Looks like you nose honks, Professor!" Max said laughing.

"I should have seen that coming," The Professor sighed as he stood up.

"Teehee!" May squirmed with glee.

~*~*~*

Outside the lab in the opened field, three familiar characters were walking side by side completely out of breath.

"I can't walk another step or I'll collapse!" the woman with long red hair shouted.

"It's times like these I wonder why we don't just rent a car," the man with blue hair parted in the middle, said.

"That's because the two's of you'se don't have a license!" the small feline Pokemon said.

"What are you talking about Meowth!" the Team Rocket member known as Jessie shouted, "I already have a license to drive!"

"You have a license to annoy, bore, and snore loudly too," James replied.

"Will you shut up?" Jessie said clenching a fist.

"Where'd you get dat license from? Off a cereal box?" Meowth scoffed.

"Actually I have a stolen license, but whose keeping count anyway?" Jessie responded.

"Why couldn't we just stay in the balloon?" James asked as he fell to the ground.

Jessie and Meowth sat themselves down on the grass next to him.

"Maybe because it sunk to the bottom of the lake once that twerps' Swellow put a hole through it the other day?" Meowth replied, "Sometimes I wonder how that twerp will manage if his Swellow is put out of comission."

"Hmmm, look at that fancy building," James said, pointing to the small silver toned laboratory.

"Fancy? Looks more like tacky to me," Jessie said sarcastically.

"I wonder what a building like that is doing out in the middle of nowhere. There's nothing but a sea of grass over here," Meowth wondered.

"Who knows? Who cares? Besides, looks like that building has a broken window," Jessie said.

"Ooh you're right, one of those circular windows is smashed," James exclaimed.

"Hmmm…that just piqued my curiosity," Meowth said, raising his claws.

"You don't actually intend to go in that place do you?" Jessie asked, exhausted.

Meowths' eyes lit up as Jessie and James could tell he was up to something.

~*~*~*

Inside the lab's guest room, Brock was holding both Ash and May in his arms. He was holding Ash in his left arm, and May in his right. Both babies clung to Brock with their hands as they looked around the room.

Max sat himself down on the edge of his bed, "The Professor locked himself in his room rather quickly. I sure hope he already started on that formula of his."

Brock nodded as Ash and May started getting restless in his arms. Ash reached up and started pulling on Brock's face. The ever curious and energetic May watched him as he began pulling on Brock's mouth.

Brock stood there smiling as he allowed Ash to play with his face. May's eyes lit up as she decided to do the same. May started grabbing Brock's ear and pulled on it as hard as she could. When each infant saw the other start pulling on a feature on Brock's face, the other one tried to move onto a different feature. Ash then squiggled his little body to get higher up while Brock was holding him, and reached for his nose. Ash glared at May as if he was insinuating a challenge. May responded by squirming her little body up on Brock's chest to reach for something higher on his face.

Max and Pikachu watched smiling as the two infants tried to rearrange Brock's face as best they could. Ash started pressing both his hands on Brock's cheeks while May started poking his right eye.

"Ah…not the eye! You can touch anything else, just not the eye!" Brock said as he jerked his body.

"Yeehaooo!" Ash shouted as he constantly tried to push Brock's cheek to the right.

May reached up with all her might and started pulling on Brock's spikey hair.

"Wow, Ash and May can't sit still, can they? They're almost always getting each other into mischief!" Max said laughing.

"I noticed," a testy Brock said as the two infants pushed and pulled on almost every feature on his head.

The Professor opened the door to the guest room and greeted the two kids and infants.

"Have you finished the formula yet?" Max asked.

"No no, it will take a few hours yet to finish mixing the chemicals and making sure they're at the right temperature. I'm just wondering if either of those babies had to go to the bathroom yet," The Professor asked.

"OH I FORGOT!" Brock gasped as he placed both infants gently on the bed.

"What? What's the matter now?" Max asked.

"Ash and May are only a year or so old! That means they're going to make in their pants!" Brock shouted.

"Oh man, I didn't even think about diapers or anything!" Max said, astonished.

Brock, Max and Pikachu looked at the Professor for an answer.

The Professor waved his hand, "What are you three looking at me for? Do I look like I keep spare diapers around the lab?"

"I sure hope neither one of them uh… "made" yet. They're still sitting in their underwear under their clothes aren't they? After all, everything they're wearing got shrunk with them," Brock said.

The two infants sat side by side, staring naively at everyone talking in the room. The young infant boy with dark spikey hair and the brunette still wearing her bandana looked from person to person as they were shouting, trying to understand what they were saying.

"Hmmmm, I wonder how the girls' bra fits her now that she's a little infant. She must still be wearing it under her shirt," The Professor wondered.

"Hey! Don't talk about my sister like that!" Max said angrily.

"Calm down, if it weren't for me you wouldn't even realize if you'd have to change them or not," the Professor responded.

"I just hope if either of them "make", it's a #1 rather than a #2. If you know what I mean, I don't think I'm mature enough to stomach removing the brown stuff," Brock said sobbing.

"But…even if they did you can't change them Brock!" Max shouted.

The two infants poked out their heads and stared right at Brock with clueless expressions on.

"Well I suppose I'd be the one to change them…as I don't think the Professor wants to –"

"You got that right," The Professor said quickly.

"That's not what I mean! You can't change them because if you take off their underwear you'd see the bottom of them…uh…naked," an embarrassed Max blushed.

Brock rolled his eyes, "Max don't worry, I won't be looking when I don't have to, you know. I'll just quickly slap on some diapers if we can go out and get some…besides…I don't think we have to worry about that right now anyway. The two of them look fine."

Off of Brock's remark, Ash made a squeezing sound. Brock looked nervously at his younger friend and pressed his hand against his pants.

"Good news!" Brock declared.

"What?" Max asked.

"It's not a nr.2."

"Phew."

"Bad news!" Brock declared again.

"What now?" Max asked.

"It was a nr.1. Ash feels wet. I think he peed in his pants," Brock said covering his face.

"Well, well, that's my cue to exit. Have fun with that!" the Professor said hastily as he walked out of the room.

"Hey wait a sec, what am I supposed to do?" Brock said nervously.

May smiled and placed her hand on Ash's shoulder. An embarrassed Ash looked at May as the girl let out a chuckle.

"Oh brother," Brock sighed.


	7. You grew up FAST, girl!

**Chapter 7  
****  
****"You grew up FAST, girl!"  
**  
"I hope I bought the right ones," Max panted as he ran across the field holding a bag.

Brock had given Max some money to run ahead to a store to buy diapers for Ash and May. Luckily for Max, he didn't have to run that far as there was a set of stores next to a beach which was just over the clearing that the lab was situated on. For Brock, this was a chance to watch Ash and May while Max ran out to get diapers, as they didn't want to leave Ash sitting in a wet diaper. For Max however, he considered it a big responsibility. Max was determined to buy the right sized diapers for Ash and May, he knew he couldn't let his little sister and best friend down.

"Almost there…" Max gasped as he pushed a tree branch out of his face.

The sun was still shining along the sea of grass surrounding the lab. The boy had only been gone for less than an hour, but he was running the whole way through. Max ran out of the small forest area and into the clearing. He looked down at the bag he was carrying that contained a pack of diapers inside. He smiled as he ran up to the front doors of the lab.

"Huh…why is the door open?" Max asked himself.

The sliding doors of the lab were pushed wide open, which was very unusual as the Professor made a habit to tell them that he always wanted his doors shut. Max shrugged it off however and shut the doors behind him, there was something far more important on his mind.

Max ran up the stairs and into the guest room on the 2nd floor. As he entered the room he saw Brock playing with Ash and May on the bed. Pikachu was sleeping on the floor. The two infants were playing jovially with Brock's hands as he rubbed their little tummies to make them laugh. Brock leaped off the bed when he saw Max enter the room. Ash and May looked disappointed as they wanted Brock to continue playing with them.

"You got them right?" Brock asked.

"Yep. I bought the diapers, I bought the right size I hope according to the Professor. At least I think I did," Max said as he handed the bag over to Brock.

Brock looked in the bag and picked up the package of diapers inside. He examined the tab on the side as well as the size, but Brock realized something was missing.

"Uh…Max, these are the right size but you forgot something!" Brock said as he held the package of diapers in his hand.

"What? What did I forget?" Max asked astonished.

"You only bought boys diapers! You were supposed to get a package of girls' diaper too!" Brock scolded.

"Oh man, I'm such an idiot!" a distressed Max said.

"Don't feel so bad Max," Brock said as he put his hand on his shoulder, "You simply forgot that's all. Besides, good thing you at least got the right size for, Ash."

"No, I'm so stupid!" Max grunted as he pushed Brock's hand away, "I was in such a rush that I only picked up boys diapers because I had Ash on my mind most of the time. I was thinking about him because he was the one who made in his pants, so I knew I had to hurry up and get diapers for him. I can't believe I was dumb enough not to get a package of girls' diapers for my sister."

"Max…it's OK really," Brock said as he placed the package of diapers on the bed. Brock went over to May and pressed his hands against her shorts. May's face lit up as she thought Brock was going to play with her again. He instead was only checking to see if May was still dry.

"Hmmm, it doesn't seem like May made in her underwear yet…at least that's good news," Brock said as he removed his hand from May.

May looked disappointed as Brock moved away from her. The unhappy infant looked at Brock and Max with watery eyes hoping that one of them would come and play with her. May's eyes continued to water as she looked at Ash, who was too busy trying to knock a lamp off the table.

Max looked disheartened. He felt that he had failed Brock and his sister for not getting the job done as asked. He sat down on a chair as he wiped the lens of his glasses with his shirt.

Brock sighed as he knew what Max was feeling, but decided to give him some alone time to cool down. Brock ripped open the plastic on the pack of diapers as he took out one diaper and left the rest on the dresser which was opposite the bed.

Brock looked aghast at the lamp that was leaning off the edge of the table as Ash was trying to kick it over.

"Ash, stop!" Brock yelled as he ran over to the table.

"Wheee!" Ash giggled as he kicked the lamp off the edge.

"Gah!" Brock screamed as he darted for the lamp and caught it right before it hit the floor.

"Brock…?" Max asked, putting his glasses back on.

"Jeez, Ash, you really are trying to get us into trouble aren't you? Don't you remember how the Professor said he doesn't like his stuff touched or broken?" Brock said in an understanding voice.

Ash shrugged his shoulders as May giggled, watching from afar. Brock placed the lamp back on the table as he lifted Ash up and placed his back on the bed.

"Well this is going to be a new experience," Brock said reluctantly, taking off Ash's pants and boxers.

Max turned his head away on purpose as he didn't want to see Ash's bottom naked. May however gazed naively trying to understand what Brock was doing. Ash was in his own little world as he just stared up smiling at Brock.

"The….re…good as new!" Brock said as he connected the velcro of the diaper.

"Ooh," Ash motioned as he touched his nice new diaper.

May gazed in awe as if Brock gave Ash some kind of special present.

"Might as well put these in the hamper," Brock said as he held Ash's wet boxers with two fingers and dropped them in the hamper next to the bathroom door.

Brock then went back toward Ash and put his sweatpants back on over his diaper. May was completely bewildered and more confused than anything. Ash smiled playfully as Brock sat him back up on the bed.

Max got off the chair and walked up toward Brock and the two infants, "Brock, do you want me to go run out again and get a pair of girl diapers for May?"

Brock checked the clock up on the wall, "It's 4:00pm. Running out now would be more trouble than it's worth. The Professor still wants us to get our work done remember? Don't worry, I'll go get a pack tomorrow. Besides May is still dry now, I just hope she doesn't do a #2 over night," Brock sighed, wiping his forehead.

Suddenly, a loud explosion caught their attention from downstairs.

"What the heck was that?" Max shouted.

"It…sounds like one of the machines downstairs must have blown up!" Brock shouted.

"WHAT THE HELL!" the Professor's voice could be heard from downstairs.

"C'mon," Brock motioned as he picked up both Ash and May and carried them under his arms. Max followed Brock out of the room. Pikachu was still sound asleep, not noticing the ruckus.

The Professor was coughing, trying to blow away the smoke on the first level of the lab.

"Professor!" Brock shouted, holding the two infants with Max running behind.

"Oh, so you guys were upstairs? I was about to tear your heads off for destroying another one of my machines!" The Professor said furiously.

"It wasn't us, we heard the noise and came running down here," Max said.

"Then who?" the Professor pondered as he walked through the smoke.

A pair of broken machine parts were on the floor, with a bunch of metal cylinders scattered all over the ground.

"Will someone get this thing off me!" a familiar voice yelled.

"Huh…somebody else is in my lab!" The Professor shouted as he ran toward the voice.

Brock and Max followed with the two infants being carried like suitcases. The two of them had to wade through the smoke and dust in order to see what was going on.

"Woodle doo?" Ash asked May as they were carried through the smoke.

"Me nono," May shrugged.

As the smoke cleared the gang saw Meowth being stretched by a pair of mechanical arms. The left arm pulled on Meowths' front paws while the right was pulling on his legs. Jessie and James were frantically pulling on Meowth's body to get him free.

"Let him go you bucket of bolts!" James shouted.

"What is with this nuthouse? Who in the world makes a pair of robot arms that reach for you as you walk by?" Jessie asked while pulling on Meowth.

"A…ctually….I ran up to the arms to get a closer look at them and they must have thought I was part of the experiment! Gaaaaaah….I'm being pulled from all directions," Meowth shouted.

"Team Rocket?" Max wondered as he suddenly realized something, "That must have been why the front doors was open! These three must have broken in somehow!"

"What are you lunatics doing in my lab?!" the Professor demanded.

Jessie and James turned their heads to see the four of them standing there but didn't stop their motion.

"Don't you see we don't have time for you at the moment?" James yelled back while still pulling on Meowth.

"Yeah, hey old geyser if you want to make yourself useful why don't you just shut these arms down!" Jessie yelled.

"Will somebody do SOMETHING! My body isn't made for such cruel punishment!" Meowth sniveled as his body continued to stretch in opposite directions.

The Professor grinded his teeth as he walked alongside the wall and opened a panel. He furiously pressed down on the "OFF" button inside the panel. The mechanical arms stopped pulling on Meowth and loosened their grip on him. Meowth looked relieved as the arms let go of him…until he was dropped hard on the floor.

"Aargh, what kind of landing was dat!" Meowth said out of breath, lifting himself up.

Jessie and James folded their arms as they looked at the group standing before them.

"Now, who the hell are you people? What the hell are you doing in my lab? And you're lucky I don't make you work 22 hour shifts for the damage you caused!" The Professor said enraged.

"He's not kidding either, he makes you work off the damage you cause him," Max said, grinning at Team Rocket.

Meowth stood up between Jessie and James. The three of them nodded at each other as they prepared for their dynamic entrance.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie declared.

"And you can make it double!" James added.

"To pro-" Jessie started before she was interrupted by Meowth.

"Hey wait a second! Isn't there something different about the twerps this time? Look at what the big twerp is holding!" Meowth said, pointing at Brock.

"Huh?" Jessie and James said in unison as they looked at Brock carrying infant Ash and May.

"Hiiii!" Ash smiled and waved.

"Blaaargh!" May teased as she stuck out her tongue to mock Team Rocket.

"Heh, looks like Ash and May have some faint memory of Team Rocket also." an amused Max said.

"Hey! The twerps are…bite-sized!" a shocked Jessie exclaimed.

"And here I thought that the fountain of youth was just a myth!" James said astonished as he slapped his forehead.

Brock stepped forward and said nonchalantly, "Ash and May got de-aged and turned back into infants by some crazy gun, that's about the gist of it. Now what are you guys doing here?"

"Wow…there's something that has the power to do that?" Meowth asked.

"Interesting, maybe Team Rocket could use that gun for something? After all, we deserve to get a little reward for smashing through all this ungrateful machinery," Jessie pondered.

The Professor was getting more and more irritated the more Team Rocket stood there. He reached into his pants pocket as his rage was building.

"THAT'S IT. Nobody breaks into my lab, destroys my machines and tries to steal my inventions. GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" the Professor yelled as he picked a Pokeball out of his pocket.

"Oh want to fight for it? We can do that," Jessie said.

"Go Seviper!" she commanded

"Go Cacnea!" James added.

In a blinding light the flash formed into the bodies of the poisonous snake Seviper and the small cactus Pokemon, Cacnea.

"This could get ugly. I'm holding Ash and May and I left Foretress' ball back at the room," Brock muttered.

Brock realized they were in trouble if they had no Pokemon to defend themselves from Team Rocket's attack. Pikachu was still sleeping upstairs, and Brock felt that he couldn't risk running up to the 2nd floor without Team Rocket causing more damage. His eye then caught a glimmer of the small Pokeball the Professor held in his right hand.

"So…what's it going to be, old timer?" James asked.

"THIS!" The Professor shouted as he threw his Pokeball.

The flash of light formed into the giant Pokemon known as Tyranitar. The seven foot tall Pokemon towered over them. It's face was enraged as the spikes on it's back hardened into an attack position. Tyranitar roared as it stood ready for battle before them.

"Whoa, I didn't know the Professor had any Pokemon," Max was surprised.

"A Tyranitar?!" Jessie and James shouted in unison as they grabbed each others arms.

"Uh-oh," Ash grinned happily as he pointed to Team Rocket.

"Go go go!" May shouted happily as she started throwing punches with her little infant hands.

"That's good news," A relieved Brock said to himself.

"Tyranitar, Mega Punch!" the Professor commanded, "Please obey me without hesitation!"

"Seviper/Cacnea do anything!" Jessie and James shouted.

Seviper and Cacnea reluctantly launched themselves at Tyranitar. Tyranitar lifted back it's burly arm and smashed it into the ground as Seviper and Cacnea leaped into the air. The floor of the lab cracked as the impact of the punch broke the tiles and shook the room around it.

"Seviper, bite attack!" Jessie commanded.

"Cacnea take it from the side and use Pin missile!" James yelled.

"Nicely done, don't forget who you are, my old friend. Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam on the snake!" The Professor commanded.

The Pokemon opened it's mouth and shot out a beam of orange light that completely enveloped the snake Pokemon and brought it to the ground.

"Viiiiper?" Seviper said in pain.

"Use Flamethrower on Cacnea!" The Professor shouted.

"Cac…nea!" Cacnea launched it's Pin Missile attack at Tyranitar.

Tyranitar jumped out of the way and leaped onto one of the machines, which ended up breaking a bit due to it's heavy weight.

"Cac?" Cacnea looked scared as Tyranitar was building an attack right behind it.

"Zzzaaar!" Tyranitar shouted as red flames shot out from its mouth and made contact with the small cactus Pokemon.

"Cacnea no!" James shouted as the force of the flamethrower pushed Cacnea all the way back toward Team Rocket.

The flames from Cacnea spread onto Jessie, James, Meowth and Seviper as it stood in front of them. Jessie, James and Meowth started to frantically jump around as the flames spread over their entire bodies.

"Aaaargh I can't stand the heat!" Jessie shouted.

"Is this even a fair fight?" Meowth yelled as it held it's head.

"Ha, it's fair to do to intruders who break into my lab," The Professor said boastfully as he stood next to his Pokemon. "Now, Tyranitar, send them flying with Dynamic Punch!"

Tyranitar pulled back it's arm as the shockwave of its punch sent Team Rocket and their Pokemon through the wall and sent them flying outside.

"This has to be the most humiliating defeat we ever had!" James shouted as they were flying in the air.

"There were worse!" Jessie snapped, "Besides, you saw how those twerps were turned into babies, we have to get a hold of such a device!"

"I ain't going back in there if you paid me!" Meowth said.

"Both of you are so utterly useless!" Jessie complained as the three of them and their Pokemon were sent into the sky beyond.

"Taaaar," Tyranitar roared triumphantly.

"That's enough now big fellah, I know its been awhile." The Professor said happily as he recalled his Pokemon in his Pokeball, "I'm pleased that you were able to hold onto who you were this time, thank you."

"Yaaaaaaaaaaayy!" Ash and May shouted, clapping their hands while still being held in mid-air.

"Wow, that was pretty good. I thought I would have to step in before you let out your Tyranitar," Brock complimented.

"Yeah, your Tyranitar looks so strong. I didn't even know you had Pokemon!" Max gushed with praise.

The Professor placed the Pokeball back in his pocket, "I rarely battle anymore, and Tyranitar is the only Pokemon I have left. I've had him for many, many years, and I use him to fend off robbers like those three."

The Professor looked at the front of his lab and sighed. The doorway was completely destroyed, and the machines in the surrounding area were completely totaled from the attacks and Team Rockets' initial break-in.

"Oh well, you can't win them all I guess," The Professor sighed.

"Sorry about all the damage they caused," Brock said softly as he brought Ash and May closer to his chest.

"Don't worry, I'll just add another day of work to your schedule. After all, somebody has to work hard to clean up the place," The Professor grinned.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Max said sarcastically.

"Hmmm…anyway, on the bright side I have some good news for our little friends here," The Professor said as he turned around.

Ash and May gripped onto Brock's shirt and looked at the Professor cautiously.

"I have finished one batch of my #69 formula, I was going to tell you before those three busted into my lab. Anyway, this means I can reverse the process on one of your friends and turn them back into the age they once were," he said cheerfully.

"Wow you're finished already? That's incredible, we can turn them both back?" Brock asked.

"No, didn't you hear me the first time? ONE batch. I only have enough to reverse the process on one of them. The other will have to wait another day or so before I can whip up another batch," The Professor responded.

"So who should we turn back first?" Max said looking at Ash and May.

"Let's not discuss it out here, come to my small experiment room. I have a table which you can place the babies on. When they grow bigger they will simply fill out on the wide open table. That way they'll have enough space to get back to their current height and weight," he stated as he motioned the gang to follow him.

"Can't you just turn them back while Brock is holding them?" Max asked curiously.

"Uh noooo…unless you want your friend here to topple over as the baby he's carrying suddenly multiplies in weight and height," The Professor said slyly.

"Gee, I didn't think of that," Max said.

The Professor walked toward a small room on the left side of the main entrance. He opened the door as Max and Brock walked in. The Professor shut the door behind him as he watched the two infants staring back at him over Brock's shoulder.

"Boogie booggie!" Ash said as he pulled his ears at the Professor who was walking behind him.

May pulled down her right eye lid at the Professor in order to tease him, "Hee hee!"

The Professor rolled his eyes at the two infants and told Brock and Max to gather around the wide open silver table. Brock placed both infants on the table as the Professor went to his desk to pull out what he needed for the experiment. Ash and May sat at the edges of the table while Brock watched that they didn't fall off.

The Professor pulled out the metallic gun as he examined the antenna dish at the edge of it. He then pulled out a small capsule filled with orange liquid and injected it into an open panel on the gun.

"Hmm…that's formula 69 right?" Max asked.

"Yep, and if I still remember how to do this then this SHOULD work," he said as he held up the gun, looking at it from all sides.

"You mean you've done this before? Have other people been turned into infants before Ash and May?" Brock asked.

"Well…you can say that," The Professor said as he walked toward the table.

"But I thought you said you never told anyone about your invention," Brock asked curiously.

"Yeah that's right, how do you know how to make that formula anyway? When did you discover a way to reverse the de-aging?" Max asked.

"What is this, some kind of interrogation? I think you kids ask too many questions," The Professor remarked.

"Well sorry," Brock said. Ash and May tried to push his hands away so they could move and get off the table. "It's just really interesting that's all."

"I wish you kids put as much effort into your work as you do asking me about every little thing," The Professor wiped the side of his face, staring at the two infants on the table, "Now then, which one of you tykes are going back to their normal age first?"

Ash and May naively pointed to each other as if they thought the Professor was assigning a punishment on them.

"Well what do you think Max? Should it be Ash or May?" Brock asked.

"I dunno, I kind of like it that I'm the older sibling for once. At least as a baby May can't boss me around like she used to. But then again she is my sister, and I really want to be normal again. I…kind of miss my older sister. But…Ash is my best friend, and I want him to be back to normal too," a shy Max said.

"I think the little runt should be turned back first. He was the one who threw that frisbee through my window in the first place wasn't he?" The Professor glanced at Brock and Max, "Not to mention being responsible for destroying my first set of mechanical arms? Besides, at least the girl isn't as annoying as a baby since she can barely talk."

May crossed her arms and muttered something under her breath as she heard the Professor's last comment.

"The boy will do. What do you think bucko?" the Professor asked Brock.

"Well Ash has been causing the most mischief as a baby," Brock said grinning, watching Ash nibble on May's fingers.

"Heiayah!" May cried as she pulled her fingers out of Ash's mouth.

Ash's lips puckered as an angry May turned her body away from him.

"He has been a bit more wild than May to take care of," Brock confessed.

"Then it's unanimous! The boy gets turned back first, simply because he is a rotten little brat!" The Professor declared.

"But…I didn't really make a decision…that means it's not really unanimous isn't it?" Max said timidly.

"Boy, what did I tell you about asking so many questions?" The Professor snapped.

Max jumped nervously, "OH! Sorry about that! Guess I wouldn't mind having my sister as a baby for another day or so."

"Take the girl off the table, for this to work only the boy has to absorb all of the rays from the gun," The Professor instructed.

"Got it," Brock said as he lifted May off the table.

Brock and Max stepped to the back of the room while Brock placed May on the floor. Ash looked up curiously as to why everyone suddenly moved away from him.

The Professor looked at the gun one last time to make sure everything was set. Brock and Max were too preoccupied with making sure that Ash didn't fall off the table to notice that May was crawling away.

May crawled toward the big table in the middle. She noticed the top of the table was too high to reach, so the frustrated baby tried to look for another method to get back on top to play with her friend. May then glanced at the right of the table as she saw a small plastic chair.

"Aha!" May said to herself.

Ash began to whimper on the table as he was wondering why everyone was suddenly avoiding him. The Professor began to aim with the gun toward the little infant. Max and Brock watched carefully as they had never seen the ray gun work before.

"Now then, the infant must absorb ALL of the formula in order to reverse the process. The antenna dish at the end of this gun with transmit the formula into air waves which will come into contact with the baby. If all the waves are absorbed, he should return to his previous height and weight," The Professor stated.

"Interesting," Brock noted.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, May managed to lift herself up on the small plastic chair that was to the right of the table. The infant then stood on the chair as she spotted Ash whimpering on the middle of the table. May was determined to get back to her friend so she could play with him again.

"Wait…what happens if not all the waves are absorbed?" Max asked.

"Then nothing will happen. The formula will have been wasted and I'll have to spend another full day making another batch," The Professor said.

"Phew, that's a relief," Max said, wiping the sweat off his face. "I thought that maybe Ash would turn into some kind of mutant or something if the experiment didn't work correctly. Maybe even grow younger or get really old…hehe."

"You read too many comic books, kid," the Professor said.

"Huh…where's May?" Brock wondered as he noticed May was no longer on the floor next to him.

"Here goes!" The Professor shouted as his finger pressed the red button on the gun.

"Wheeeeeeee!" May shouted as she leaped from the chair and landed face first on the table.

Yellow light started to form from the antenna dish of the gun. Unfortunately for May, she started sliding across the table stomach first and slid right into Ash.

"May!" Max shouted.

"GAAAAAH!" Ash shouted as the force from May sliding into him knocked him off the other edge of the table.

"Huh?" The Professor looked up as the yellow light began to engulf the only infant still on the table, May.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ash cried hysterically as he bumped his head on the floor.

"Wuh?" May said, trying to shield her eyes from the yellow light that completely engulfed her.

The blinding light began to brighten the whole room, as every person in the room began to cover their eyes from the intense brightness.

Brock kneeled down on the floor and picked Ash up who was hysterically crying. "I can't believe May jumped on the table like that and accidentally knocked you over," he said.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Ash continued to cry as Brock held him in his right arm while shielding his eyes with his left.

"Well…" the Professor gasped while covering his eyes, "At least the air waves have managed to get one baby after all!"

May's eyes twitched as she felt something changing. May suddenly began to grow on the table. Her arms began to stretch. Her legs started to grow longer. Her facial features started to look older. Most of the baby fat that was on her body began to disappear. Her hair began to grow and accumulate. Her hips began to widen into an hourglass figure. Her chest broadened and her breasts started to develop. Curves began to form on her backside, and her clothes grew with her. Her voice deepened and started to get less squeaky. May was quickly returning to the age and weight she used to be.

The light surrounding the room started to disappear. Everyone in the room took their hands away from their eyes. Ash even stopped crying as he tried to look as to what was going on. The Professor started to lower the gun as he noticed the rays started to stop.

As the light cleared, the small infant baby that took up only a few inches in the middle of the table was gone. In its place, was a young teen girl that sat in the middle, with her arms stretched out behind her and her legs hanging over the edge of the other side.

May blinked hard as she realized she was back to normal.

"Eh…hi guys?" May said in an exhausted voice.

"It WORKED!" Brock shouted in glee.

"Ha!" The Professor smiled as his experiment was a success.

"May!" Max cried as he ran over to the table and grabbed his sister around the torso.

"Max…you don't have to cry," May said softly, patting his hair.

"I'm…I'm not sad. I'm just crying because I'm so happy to see you as yourself again, big sister!" Max said emotionally as his eyes wobbled, looking up at his sister.

"Oooooh," Ash smiled, admiring the teenage May on the table.

May lifted herself off the table and brought her feet to the ground as she moved her brother from her torso.

"OK now, Max?" May asked.

"Y-yes," Max said, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

"May, you'll never believe what happened to you!" Brock said.

"Oh I know," May replied, "I was turned into an infant and caused you guys a lot of trouble didn't I?"

"Oh, so you remember?" Max asked.

"I remember everything! And I…..oh….ASH!" May said suddenly as she leaped toward Ash who was being held in Brock's arms.

May placed her hand on top of Ash's black spikey hair and rubbed his scalp. "I'm so sorry you bumped your head when I knocked you off the table before, Ash. I didn't mean to hurt you like that," May said smiling at the little infant.

"Heehee!" Ash giggled as he let May rub his head.

"Interesting, so you have memory of everything you did as an infant right?" the Professor asked her.

May moved her hand away from Ash and looked at the Professor. "Sure do, Mr. Lenient! My memory seemed only faint when I was an infant, but I still kinda had an inkling as to who everyone was. Once you turned me back to normal, all my old memories became clear and I even still remember everything I did as a baby. You did a great job getting rid of Team Rocket before!" May said happily.

"Heh. Looks like this experiment was a complete success then. One baby down, only one more to go!" The Professor squealed as he leaped into the air and kicked his heels.

May became the center of attention as Brock and Max asked her many questions. May answered each of their questions happily as the Professor started putting the ray gun away.

Ash did nothing but stare in awe while May was talking. His eyes wobbled as he thought May was the best thing he ever saw in his entire life. He didn't quite realize that this teenage May was the same infant he was playing with all along, but whoever she was, he felt completely enamored with her.

Ash blushed every time May glanced at him while talking to Brock and Max. The little infant was completely infatuated with her presence, and knew he had to get her attention.


	8. Mommy May?

**Chapter 8  
****  
****"Mommy May?"  
**  
Another hour had passed in a very hectic day. It was nearly 6:00pm, and the group was getting hungry after all the hard work the Professor put them through to make up for lost time. Ash had quickly fallen asleep in Brock's arms soon after May was turned back to her normal self. Earlier, Brock had placed Ash very comfortably next to Pikachu as they were both resting in Max's bed in the guest room.

May just finished picking up all the scattered metal cylinders that littered the floor after Team Rocket's uninvited appearance. Brock and Max were back to the same chores they were doing earlier that day, only at twice the speed as before.

The Professor walked into the middle of the main floor and put his hands on his hips.

"Hustle! Hustle! Nearly five hours of work was lost today due to all these mishaps we've been having. If you kids want to get out of here on time, you better pick up the pace!" The Professor instructed.

May placed one last metal cylinder into a small bag and wiped her brow. Her brother walked up to her to see how she was doing.

"Finally picked those all up, eh?" Max snickered.

"At least some of us get our work done you know," May replied sarcastically.

"I wonder why the Professor is making you clean up all the mess Team Rocket made."

"Maybe because I was the one who touched that gun thing to begin with? I guess I caused the biggest trouble, since you and Brock spent so much time taking care of Ash and me when we were infants that no work was being done," May sighed as she placed the bag of cylinders onto a conveyor belt.

"It's really hard to believe that everything happened in just a few hours. This is only our first day of work May, and we've already dealt with you and Ash turned into infants, I had to go run out and spend the last of our money on diapers, then there was Team Rocket breaking in, and then turning you back to normal! Hopefully our next six days of work aren't as big a handful as today was," Max said.

"Yeah, I barely got to see Ash as an infant because he fell asleep so quickly. I mean, of course I saw him when I was an infant too, but seeing him now when I'm myself again is like a completely different experience. Heehee, Ash is cute as a baby isn't he?" May smiled as she turned to her brother.

"Well…yeah. Now I know how Mom and Dad felt when we were younger. Taking care of little babies is a lot of work!" Max said.

"Heh, I hope when Ash wakes up he remembers that I'm older again. I hope he isn't disappointed that his "little friend" isn't there to play with him anymore," May jeered as she recalled playing with him as an infant.

May and Max started walking down the hall as they watched Brock on his hands and knees turning a wrench underneath a machine. His head was leaned under the bottom of the machine as he was stretching to see if he was turning the right bolts. The Professor appeared on the second floor railing, overlooking the main floor.

"BREEEAAAAAAAAK!" the Professor shouted happily.

"Break?" May and Max asked.

"What?" Brock asked as he lifted his head up only to bang his head on the bottom of the machine. "OUCH! GAH!" Brock rubbed his head in pain as he looked up at the Professor.

"You heard me. It's dinner time," The Professor stated.

"But I thought you wanted us to finish our work?" Max asked.

Brock placed the wrench on the side of the machine, "Yeah, didn't you want us to get our work done that we missed earlier?"

The Professor raised an eyebrow, "What is this? I put you kids into harsh child labor that is probably against the law and you complain. Then I decide to be nice and give you guys a break and you complain anyway. You really are a weird bunch of kids..."

"Dinner sounds GREAT Mr. Lenient!" May said cheerfully as she ran between Brock and Max, "What's wrong with you two? We haven't eaten all day practically! I'm starving."

"Hey I won't complain. C'mon Max," Brock motioned.

As the gang walked up the stairs following the Professor, they noticed some crying coming from the guest room.

"That's Ash!" May exclaimed.

"He didn't sleep for very long at all," Brock sighed.

The Professor walked toward the kitchen as May, Brock and Max opened the guest room door. Inside, Pikachu was desperately trying to get Ash to stop crying. The Pokemon was patting Ash's body but the infant was as stubborn as ever and starting kicking and pushing it away. Pikachu looked a bit astonished as it saw May enter the room.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted happily as it ran into May's arms.

"Oh hey, Pikachu!" May said as she hugged it tightly, "You didn't know that Mr. Lenient turned me back to normal, did you?"

"Heh, that's right. Pikachu slept through the whole thing!" Max said.

"C'mon Ash, calm down," Brock said as he picked Ash up from the bed. Brock started cradling Ash in his arms in an attempt to get him to stop crying.

"Brock, you're doing a good job taking care of babies. I remember when you sat there playing with Ash and me while my brother was running out to get diapers," May said as Pikachu jumped out of her arms.

"Well I did have to take care of my younger brothers and sisters back at the Pewter Gym. I kind of grew up taking care of little ones when my father and mother…errr…left us," Brock said, still cradling a crying Ash in his arms.

Ash continued to kick and scream as he apparently wasn't satisfied.

"Maybe Ash is hungry. He didn't eat a thing all day either," Max said.

"That could be it," Brock said as May walked over to greet the little infant.

"Hey, Ash, remember me?" May grinned as the infant looked up at her curiously.

Ash sniveled as he slowly stopped crying while looking up at May. Brock held Ash out more while May tried to comfort him.

"You don't have to cry," May said softly as she moved her finger under Ash's eyes to take his tears away.

Ash's face beamed as he felt May rubbing his cheek softly with her finger. The boy then started lifting out his arms and reached for May.

"Looks like Ash wants you to hold him," Brock said as he edged Ash over to her.

"What? Me?" May asked as she looked up nervously.

Ash continued to reach out his arms frantically, trying to get May to pick him out of Brock's arms.

"Sure. It looks like it's the only way he'll calm down too," Brock added.

May nodded as she walked closer to Ash. She lifted out her hands and picked Ash up out of Brock's arms. May held Ash joyfully in front of her at arms length.

"Heeheee!" Ash pulled toward her as he wanted to hold onto May's body for warmth.

May blushed nervously as she brought Ash closer to her chest and hugged him tightly, "I've…never really held a baby before…let alone Ash as a baby." she said.

Brock, Max and Pikachu watched contently as Ash wrapped his arms around May's chest. The infant pressed his face against her breasts as May hugged him even tighter.

May squealed a bit as she continued to blush, "Ash, you're adorable! When I was an infant I couldn't realize this, but now that I'm older I can see why Brock played with us so much!"

Ash smiled blissfully as he continued to hold onto May, while the girl continued to hold her arms around his back and torso. For some reason holding infant Ash in her arms made her feel elated, she continued to smirk as she squeezed him tightly against her body.

The Professor entered the guest room with an impatient look on his face. "What's taking you guys so long? Do you want to eat or not?"

May and Ash suddenly looked up nervously as they were both snapped out of their dreamlike experience.

"Well…you see we had to calm down Ash," May said as she walked toward the Professor holding Ash in her arms. She looked down at Ash and waved his hand, "Say hi to Mr. Lenient!"

"Hiiiiiiiii!" Ash smiled at the Professor as May waved his hand.

"Quite," The Professor winked at the boy, "I need food in my belly, hurry up."

A few minutes later the gang were standing around the same small kitchen table that the cookie was sitting on a few hours before. Max sat down on a chair while Brock put his hands on the back of another. May continued to stand there wading her body while holding Ash.

"Let's see, what do I have here," The Professor opened his refrigerator.

"I hope you're going to cook us something very good like last night!" Max rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Max!" May snapped, "Be polite! Mr. Lenient is doing us a favor by cooking for us."

"Well scratch that," The Professor said as he closed the refrigerator door, "All I have in there is a stick of butter and a can of olive oil. I knew I was forgetting to buy food. Oh well, guess I'll order something in then."

Ash gleefully started to move his hands along May's face as she nibbled on his fingers playfully.

"That's getting you back for nibbling on my fingers as a baby, Ash. Now let's see you picking on someone a little older than you," May giggled.

"Ohoohoho," Ash said as he started pressing his hands against May's bosom.

Ash noticed that May's chest was a bit different from the chest he was used to leaning against, which was Brock's. Ash curiously pressed his hands against May's curves wondering what they were and why they were there.

"Uh…Ash?" a jittery May blushed as she turned and tried to hide what he was doing from the others.

Ash then started rubbing his face against May's chest as he realized it made a nice cushion. May blushed heavily as she wasn't used to someone pressing against her in that manner.

The Professor caught notice and said loudly, "Looks like the boy thinks you're his mother! Either that or he's hungry, babies like breastfeeding you know."

Everyone in the room jumped slightly off the Professor's remark.

"Hey! Wha? What are you…saying? Breast…..feeding?" May gasped as she struggled to hide her embarrassment.

"Heheee!" Ash shouted as he buried his face in her bosom.

"Relaaaaax," The Professor motioned, "It was a joke. You can't breastfeed anyway, but I do suppose the baby is really hungry."

Max looked around the room more confused than anything. He didn't quite understand what the Professor meant.

"Uh….ANYWAY…." Brock interrupted as he tried to change the subject, "Just what ARE you ordering anyway? And I hope it's something our little infant friend here can eat too."

"Well don't expect me to order anything expensive. You're not on vacation, you know. Hmmmmm….how about pizza, that little tyke can chew on the soft cheese if you break it apart. He…does have teeth doesn't he?" The Professor asked curiously.

Ash suddenly opened his mouth and chomped hard on May's skin through her shirt. May's body jerked as she closed one eye and said, "Y-es…he has teeth. Pretty sharp ones too…eheh."

"Then that's that. I'll place the order. Sheesh, I really hope you kids appreciate all the things I'm doing for you," The Professor sprang across the room to a phone as he started dialing.

May pulled out a chair next to Max as she sat down with Ash in her arms. May started tickling Ash's body as the boy giggled loudly. He waved his hands and arms in the air as May moved her fingers underneath Ash's black t-shirt so she could tickle his skin.

"Hahahahahaha!" Ash roared with laughter as May quickly moved her fingers against his chubby stomach.

"Wow, May is really good with babies," Brock said to himself as he sat on his chair at the end of the table.

May noticed Max leaning over to her as if he wanted to ask her something. May looked at her brother and asked, "What's the matter?"

Max shyly began to open his mouth but then shut it again. He started scratching his shoulder nervously as he finally got the courage to ask his question.

"Uh, May….what did the Professor mean by breastfeeding?" Max asked nervously.

"!!!" a surprised May responded.

~*~*~*~*

The pizza had arrived almost ten minutes after the Professor made the order. Everyone was sitting at the table eating a slice. Pikachu peeled the cheese off the pizza and brought it to its mouth.

May had Ash sitting on her lap, having him face the table. She had taken her slice and cut it into little pieces small enough for Ash to chew. She peeled off the cheese and set it aside as she gave him the small pieces of pizza. Ash picked the small pieces from the table and started chewing them the best he could. May smiled contently as she started eating the other half of her slice that she set aside for herself.

The Professor was eating his slice quickly with his mouth open. The others at the table noticed how many sounds and grunts the Professor made when chewing. The chewing sounds almost disturbed Ash, as the infant kept looking up at the Professor curiously.

The Professor caught notice of everyone staring at him at the table. He swallowed what was in his mouth and glanced about the room, "Uh…yes? I appear to be the center of attention. I know I was quite the looker when I was younger but since then my face has gone to hell and back. So uh…what is it?" The Professor burped as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"You…don't have company often do you?" Brock asked.

"Who me? Almost never. All my relatives are long dead, ha! And I certainly do not invite little kids to my lab like I did with you four. I guess I'm not used to eating with other people," The Professor said as tomato sauce dripped onto his shirt.

"Even I eat better than he does," Max thought to himself after swallowing a piece of cheese from the slice.

The Professor got up from the table and picked up his plate. He walked over to the sink and dropped his dish inside. "Well I'm done for the night. Guess I still have a lot to learn about table manners…never could quite get those down in the last couple of decades."

"Byeeeee!!!" Ash waved as the Professor walked out of the room.

May looked down toward Ash and winked at him, "You're doing a great job eating your dinner, Ash!"

Ash nodded as he swallowed another small piece of pizza.

"Well of course he's eating well," Brock said, "This IS Ash we're talking about. He eats just as much as a baby as he did when he was older!"

"Ha, eating and battling with Pokemon are the two things Ash likes to do best," Max said, "But still, I never would have thought I'd ever see Ash as an infant. It's just…really crazy just thinking that the Professor created a device that does that!"

"It's not really as strange as you might think Max," Brock said as he just finished the last bit of his slice.

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"For one thing, since I've been traveling with Ash over the years all kind of crazy stuff happened to us. In fact, Ash got turned into a Pikachu once by a witch," Brock told them as he crossed his arms on the table.

"Re-ally? You got turned into a Pikachu, Ash?" May asked as she looked down at the infant.

"Yep, it was back when we were traveling through the Johto region. You remember don't you, Pikachu?" Brock asked.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu nodded.

"That's crazy!" an amazed Max said.

"Not only that," Brock continued, "But I was also turned into a plastic doll by a psychic Gym leader once."

"You're kidding," May raised an eyebrow.

"Nope," Brock replied, "I'm not lying, Misty and I were turned into plastic dolls when Ash tried to challenge a certain psychic Gym leader back in Kanto. We narrowly managed to get turned back to normal!"

May and Max looked at Ash. Max raised his glasses back up on his nose.

"That's nuts, I guess Ash and my sister getting turned into infants wasn't such a strange thing after all then," Max said.

"Guess not," Brock said cheerfully.

"D-one!" Ash slapped the table with his hands.

"Heh, all finished, Ash?" May asked as she noticed him finish eating all the cut pieces of pizza she gave him.

"Y-ea!" Ash shouted.

"Hey, May, let me hold Ash for a bit! You've been holding him ever since he woke up practically," Max said impatiently.

"Hey, I had to have Ash sit on my lap so I could watch him eat. I didn't want him to choke, you know," May scolded her brother.

"Yeah alright, but I really want to hold him now. I really wanted to play with him again but never got the chance. Come to me, Ash!" Max said as he reached his hands toward Ash.

Max closed his hands on Ash's arms as he tried to lift him out of May's lap. Ash suddenly looked nervous and a bit frantic as Max tried to lift him.

"Nononononononononoono!" Ash shouted as he tried to pull away from Max's grip.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Max asked still holding onto him.

"NOOOOO!" Ash screamed as he pulled out of Max's grip and grabbed May tightly around the chest.

Ash gripped onto May's body tightly as he looked toward Max with the corner of his eye, trying to make sure he didn't reach for him again.

"Looks like Ash doesn't want to leave your arms, May!" Brock said exuberantly.

May stood up from the chair and held Ash above her in the air, "Awww, you like me best, don't you, Ash?"

Ash giggled as May brought him back toward her body and hugged him around tightly.

"But that's no fair! May was holding him all night, I want to hold him for a while!" Max said frustrated as he got up from his seat.

May laughed as she rubbed her cheek against Ash's small face affectionately, "I can't help it if he likes me best, Max, he won't even let me put him down now!"

"Ash must really feel safe and secure with you. He certainly seems more attached to you than when I was holding him," Brock said.

"Ahaaa!" Ash smiled as he gripped May's hair and tugged on it.

May started jovially prancing around the room holding Ash in her arms as Brock put the rest of the dishes in the sink. Max watched as he could feel himself getting more and more upset that Ash didn't want to play with him.

"Hey, remember not to pull on my hair too hard, OK?" May reminded the infant.

Ash grinned and purposely pulled on her hair a bit harder, "Heeheee!"

Max got up from the table as he was too upset. He kicked the table with his foot and started marching out of the room. "My sister always gets to do everything," he muttered as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Max…wait," May looked over to the doorway only to see Max already left.

Pikachu jumped off the table and quickly ran after Max to try and comfort him. Brock walked next to May as Ash continued to hold her around while his right hand tugged on her brunette hair.

"Looks like Max is getting a bit jealous that Ash is giving you so much more attention," Brock said softly.

"I…know," May said, staring into Ash's little eyes, "But you saw how Ash didn't want to leave my arms and go to him. I can't help it if Ash would rather play with me."

"It's not uncommon for babies to show favoritism to people they feel more comfortable with than others," Brock said, "Ash has certainly gotten along a lot better with you than with me, I don't think I've ever seen him as cheerful as he is now. He's even not getting himself into as much mischief as before."

"But…why is that, Brock? Does Ash really like me more than my brother?" May asked in a stern voice.

Brock sighed, "Well I imagine he still has some faint memory of you as a teen. Not to mention he played with you when you were both infants, although I'm not sure if he made the connection that you're the same person who was playing with him before when you were both babies. On the other hand, I guess he notices all the warm affection and kindness you've shown him since you held him, and he's just returning those same feelings to you."

May rubbed her hand through Ash's black hair and looked at him passionately. She turned to Brock, "But what should I do about my brother? If the Professor is going to make another batch of that formula, he could turn Ash back to normal sometime late tomorrow. My brother would be devastated if he didn't get to hold him at least one more time before infant Ash is gone forever…and…I don't want to make it look like I'm keeping Ash all to myself…I want you and my brother to play with him too a lot more before he gets turned back."

"Heh, don't worry, May. Ash may be really attached to you, but I'm sure we can get him to open up to Max again sometime tonight or tomorrow. Anyway, I might as well go check up on your brother. Pikachu followed him, but who knows where they went. Your brother looked really depressed and heartbroken too. I'll go check on him and cheer him up," Brock said as he started walking toward the doorway.

Ash let go of May's hair and started resting his head against her shoulder. The little infant was apparently getting sleepy once again. May's eyes watered as she felt Ash's warmth leaning against her.

"Brock!" she called out suddenly.

"What is it?" Brock asked, turning around.

"Th-thank you. Thanks for helping with my brother," May smiled.

"No problem. Now you just have to take care of Ash in the meantime. He looks like he's about to fall asleep, why don't you head back to the guestroom for the night and rest with him?" Brock told her.

"You're right…maybe I should," May said as she rubbed the infants' back with her hand.

Brock walked out of the kitchen but stopped half-way in the doorway, he turned back one more time to May and smiled. May noticed that Brock was about to say one more thing.

"Remember, as an infant, Ash is seeing you through completely different eyes. At this point of time…you're his whole world May."

"Re-really? He thinks I'm…his whole world…?" May asked confused.

"Sure, keep that in mind as you put him to bed. You're pretty much everything to him right now…don't let him down," Brock gave May a thumbs up just as he walked out of the doorway.

May stood there silently holding a half asleep Ash in her arms. Ash lifted his head from May's shoulder. He let out a yawn and began rubbing his eyes.

"Ash," May said softly as she carried him out of the room.

***

The Professor was walking through the hallway on the second floor as he saw a rampaging Max running his way.

"Hey there, kid, finished eating?" The Professor asked cheerfully.

"Get out of my way!" a distressed Max said as he pushed the Professor aside and ran down the hall, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

"Gee, what's got him so upset?" the Professor scratched his scalp, "These emo kids these days, what a handful."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted as it ran between the Professor's legs and after Max.

"Would'ja watch where you're going you little mouse! You almost made me trip!" The Professor shouted as he struggled to regain his balance.

Pikachu turned it's head while still running after Max. The Professor shook his head and turned to the right just as Brock nearly ran into him.

"The hell!" The Professor exclaimed as Brock nearly fell over him.

"Sorry, Professor, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Max came down this way right?" Brock asked while turning the corner.

"Yes, yes. What's the matter anyway? Someone ate his slice of pizza when he wasn't looking or something?" the Professor asked sarcastically.

"Nah, nothing like that," Brock replied as he continued to run down the corridor.

The Professor rolled his eyes, "These kids are going to be the death of me….sheesh." He then walked down the hallway scratching his behind as he went.

*~*~*

May walked up to the guest room door as she turned the handle with her right hand while still holding Ash. She turned the light on in the room and placed Ash on her bed.

"Wha…no…?" Ash said softly as he sat up on May's bed.

"Don't worry I'm not going anywhere, Ash. I just want to take off my shoes and my bandana before I put you to sleep," she said.

May walked up to the dresser and noticed Ash's little hat and blue sweatshirt that was placed there earlier in the morning. May picked up Ash's miniature hat and smiled, "Heh, good thing Ash and I had our Pokeballs in our carrying bags, otherwise our Pokemon would have shrunk when that ray gun hit us too…hehe."

May realized that she couldn't put Ash to sleep in his sleeping bag since he was an infant. She had to sleep next to him, so she decided to let Ash sleep with her in her bed for tonight.

Ash watched contently as May untied her bandana from her head. Her hair began to flow down more freely now, as he brunette hair was no longer confined by the red bandana. May fixed her hair as she placed her bandana on top of her fanny pack on the floor. She also took off her shoes and socks and placed them next to her fanny pack.

Ash almost dozed off sitting there watching her, he was struggling to keep his eyes opened. May looked at the clock and noticed it was 7:30pm. It was still pretty early, but May felt tired herself after all that's happened in one day, and was willing to turn in for the night.

"Might as well get undressed too and put on my sleeping clothes," she said.

May opened her fanny pack and took out her yellow T-shirt. She felt a bit uneasy changing with Ash in the room, but she realized he was only an infant and it didn't really matter much. She unzipped her red outfit and pulled her arms out of it's sleeves. She stood there in her pink bra as she placed her red outfit inside her fanny pack. May pulled a bit on the cup of her bra in order to fix something that was bothering her all day. She turned her back toward Ash's view as she quickly unstrapped her bra. Ash watched naively as she then quickly pulled her yellow T-shirt on over her body. She then slid off her white skirt which was over her blue shorts, which she then placed away but decided to leave her shorts on to sleep in. She looked down at herself and pressed down on her yellow T-shirt to make sure everything was on and glanced back at the infant.

May turned to Ash as she noticed he was watching her the entire time. "Heh, I'm almost ready to sleep too. Just wait until I finish brushing my teeth ok?" May winked at the infant as she headed toward the bathroom.

Ash nodded as he held onto his feet, waiting for May to return. A few minutes later, May had quickly finished brushing her teeth and was walking back to her bed. She climbed up onto her bed and opened the covers.

"Ash…do you want to sleep with me?" May asked softly.

Ash smiled and spoke a single word, "Yea."

"OK, you can sleep next to me in my bed. After all, you can't sleep in your sleeping bag on the floor as a little infant could you? I don't think you'd want to sleep anywhere but near me tonight either, huh?" she giggled.

Ash smiled and crawled toward her. May reached for him and picked him up. She then placed him on the pillow next to her, and brought the covers back up so it covered them both just up to their shirts. May rested herself on the left of the bed while Ash was curled up to the right of her.

"I'll hold you ok, Ash? We can sleep together tonight," May said softly as she brought her arms around Ash's little chubby body and brought him closer to her own.

Ash's back was pressed up against May's chest, as both of them were facing toward the right while resting their heads on the pillow. May's hand was holding onto the boy's torso under the covers, as she made sure their bodies were always in contact.

May leaned her chest against the boy while he leaned his back against her. May whispered softly, "Goodnight, Ash."

Ash smiled and closed his eyes, placing his little hand on top of hers underneath the blanket.

The two of them slept together in the same bed, with May holding onto Ash the entire night. The boy felt content as he could constantly feel May's warmth sleeping next to him. He felt secure and protected with May beside him, as he didn't cry or wake up the entire night. Side by side they slept together peacefully, as if there was not a care in the world.


	9. Baby Ash gets into mischief!

**Chapter 9  
****  
****"Baby Ash gets into mischief!"  
**  
"I don't care!" Max cried, crossing his arms.

Pikachu stared reluctantly. Brock stood a few feet away from the boy not sure how to approach him.

"Max, you know Ash is a _baby, _he's not exactly going to show the same kind of openness toward everyone. You saw how he was kicking and pushing Pikachu away when he woke up," Brock said.

"I know that! That's not the point," a discouraged Max yelled before barging out of the room.

"Hmmm," Brock said, exchanging glances with Pikachu.

Max ran into the hallway on the 2nd floor. He continued sulking as he noticed most of the machines had been shut down for the night again. It was already dark on the first floor, which was a bit surprising as the Professor shut down the place earlier than the previous night.

Brock and Pikachu ran up beside Max, trailing behind him in the hallway. Max noticed and turned his head to them hastily.

"What are you guys following me for?" Max snapped.

"We're wondering we're you're going, that's all," Brock replied.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu added.

"I'm going to BED! There's no use staying up out here right now," Max said as he turned around.

"Good. Then maybe you'll see why Ash acted the way he did. I think May and Ash have already gone to sleep for the night," Brock said.

"You don't understand," Max said, putting his hands on the railing, "I know that Ash may like playing with certain people over others. I'm just annoyed that my sister acts like he's hers to keep!"

"She didn't…" Brock tried to say.

"When May was a baby too they used to play together. And it was nice being the older sibling for once, but now that she's grown up again it's like she's taken full control over Ash. She doesn't have to be so greedy, I just want to play with Ash one more time before he's turned back to normal. It's just not fair," Max said as he kicked the railing.

"Max, I talked to your sister after you ran out of the kitchen. She knows how you feel, and I'm willing to bet that she'll let you play with Ash tomorrow. She certainly doesn't want to keep him for herself," Brock sighed.

"Yeah, sure," Max said sarcastically as he walked over to the guest room door. Max turned the doorknob and opened the door slightly, noticing the lights were off.

Max's expression soon changed from upset and frustrated to surprised and bemused as he saw May and Ash sleeping together in the same bed. The light from the hallway lit up the room slightly, but not enough to wake either Ash or May up. Brock and Pikachu entered the room alongside Max as they saw the two sleeping together.

Max looked innocently at May and Ash, who both had content smiles on as they slept. They were in the same positions as before, with May holding Ash's torso under the blanket while they were both facing to the right.

"They…look peaceful together don't they?" Max whispered, hoping to not wake them up.

"They really do. I don't want to disturb them…it would be a shame," Brock whispered back, closing the door gently behind him.

Max wondered if he had been a tad too harsh on his sister. He walked toward his bed on the right side of the room, still admiring the sight. Just the sight of the two sleeping side by side peacefully was enough for him to calm down.

Brock went into the bathroom to start brushing his teeth for the night. He chuckled to himself, "I wonder how Ash is going to remember this when he's older again…that'll be something."

*~*~*~~*

The next morning Max woke up first. He was wearing his white t-shirt and green shorts. He hopped out of bed and made sure not to accidentally step on Brock who was sleeping in his sleeping bag in the center of the two beds. He glanced back at his sister's bed and saw that their bodies had shifted positions since last night. Ash was now facing toward May, as their foreheads were leaning against one another. May's hand was on Ash's shoulder, and some strands of her hair were resting on top of his head. Their faces were a mere inch apart. Max smiled contently as it looked like they made sure they were still holding onto each other all night. He quickly opened the door to see if the Professor was up.

Max ran down the stairs and darted for the Professor's sleeping quarters. He was eager to discover if the Professor was awake. He knocked gently on the door and waited a few seconds.

There was no answer.

Max knocked again, this time a bit louder than before. After a few seconds passed, again there was no answer.

Max curiously turned the doorknob to see if the door would open. To his surprise, the door was unlocked! He peeked inside only to see the room vacant. He saw the Professor's bed was already messy, so he figured that the Professor had already gotten up. The boy shut the door as he then started wandering around the lab looking for him. The machines in the lab were still off, so he wondered where the Professor could be.

Max's mind last night was completely on his sister and Ash. For some reason, he really liked the fact that his best friend and older sister looked so _happy _resting together. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he found something about it endearing. Nevertheless, Max wanted to find the Professor quickly to find out if this would indeed be the last day of infant Ash. If the Professor was going to make another batch of his #69 formula, Max wanted to make sure to spend as much time with infant Ash as possible before he was ready to turn him back to normal.

"Where could he be?" Max asked out loud quickly, running around the lab. The boy then turned to the door on the left side of the lab. It was the same small room that the Professor had turned his sister back to normal in. Could the Professor be in there?

Max ran up to the door and put his hand on the handle. He could hear murmuring inside, and Max realized that he was probably inside! He smiled as he turned the doorknob.

He opened the door and gasped, "What the heck!?"

Max saw the Professor tied to a chair with a handkerchief in his mouth. Beside him stood Jessie, James and Meowth who were rummaging through his desk drawers.

"Not you guys again! What are you doing!?" Max shouted.

Jessie, James and Meowth turned to the boy.

"What are you doing up so early, kid?" James asked.

"James, you moron!" Jessie threatened, "I thought you said this plan would work if we got up early in the morning since the twerps would all still be asleep!"

"Well how did I know one of them was going to be an early bird?" James retorted.

Meowth yawned, "We got up so early for nuthin' then! We feline Pokemon need many hours of sleep you know."

The Professor started rocking his chair, trying to say something while the handkerchief covered his mouth.

Max stood bravely in front of the villains. "You guys broke into the lab again!? What are you trying to do this time!?"

"Found it!" Jessie said chuckling. She held up in her hands the Professor's ray gun which turned Ash and May into infants.

"Good work, Jess, let's get the heck out of here now before the rest of them wake up!" James said quickly.

"Give that back!" Max demanded.

"Suuure we will, kiddo. Hey, Jessie, why don't you try that thingamabob out?" Meowth asked.

"You're right, Meowth! What's the point of stealing it without making sure it works first? This turned the other twerps into infants, let's see how it works on this one!" Jessie exclaimed as she aimed the ray gun at Max.

The Professor shook his head nervously while trying to tell Max to run.

Max backed up in fear as Jessie was about to push the button. "Hey…wait a second!" Max yelled.

"Sorry, wait time is over!" Jessie sneered as she pushed the button.

The rays of yellow light began appearing on the dish of the gun as the light slowly began to accumulate together.

"This thing is taking forever to fire!" James bellowed.

"I thought this was instant-infant-i-zation!" Jessie pondered.

"Gah!" Max yelled as he sharply turned and ran out of the room screaming, "WAKE UP! TEAM ROCKET IS HERE!"

"He's getting away!" Meowth yelled.

Jessie, James and Meowth ran outside the small room and into the main area of the lab. Max was frantically running up the stairs to get back up onto the hallway of the second floor.

"GUYS, WAKE UP!" Max cried.

"That thing looks like it's ready, why don't you aim with it?" James asked.

Jessie pointed the ray gun up at Max as he was climbing the stairs. The light had fully accumulated and shot out a beam of light in Max's direction!

Max frantically screamed at the top of his lungs before he ducked to the ground, "WAKE UPPPPP!!!!!"

Inside the guest room, Max's scream woke Brock and Pikachu up. Brock sat up in his sleeping bag, "Pikachu, did you just hear Max screaming?"

Pikachu nodded and jumped off Max's bed. Brock, who was wearing his green T-shirt and brown pants jumped out of his sleeping bag and walked past May and Ash who were still sound asleep. He opened the door and ran out with Pikachu and then shut the door behind him.

Brock stood on the railing on the second floor and ran down the hallway with Pikachu following. "Max!?" Brock yelled.

Max frantically held his hands over his head as the beam of light had struck him!

"Ghhaaa!" Max cried as the light completely engulfed him.

"Bulls eye," Jessie said as she snapped her fingers.

Nice shot," Meowth complimented, "Now we can see if this gun is the real deal."

Team Rocket watched as a blinding light began to engulf the entire room. They started to shield their eyes from the intense brightness.

Brock and Pikachu stopped in their tracks as the light from the other end of the hallway began to shine in their eyes as well. "Oh damnit! I hope this isn't what I think it is!" Brock shouted while shielding his eyes.

"Chu….pikaka!" Pikachu stuggled to say.

The Professor saw Team Rocket gloating while shielding their eyes from the open doorway. His face was furious as he struggled to free himself from the rope that bound him to the chair. He knew he had to get free and get to his Pokeball that was in a lower drawer of his desk. If he could send out his Tyranitar, he would be able to stop Team Rocket from stealing his invention like he did before. The Professor tried moving his hands and body but it was of no use, Team Rocket had tied him down too tightly.

"Aargh…" Brock grunted as he inched his way closer to the source of light.

The light of the room then began to slowly fade. Brock, Pikachu and Team Rocket started to remove their hands from their eyes as the bright light started to disappear. Brock then darted across the hallway to finally see what was going on.

He kept running until he saw something laying right above the stairs, "What the…" he gasped as he stopped in his tracks.

A small chubby infant with jet black hair and tiny glasses was laying face first on the floor. The small boy sat up and raised his head as the glasses fell off his face and onto the ground.

"So it DOES work. Amazing!" James said happily.

Jessie held the gun in her hands and began examining it from all positions, "This is a pretty nifty toy."

"We got what we came for now let's scram before any of those other twerps wake up! The noise probably woke them by now!" Meowth said hastily.

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Brock shouted as he ran up to an infant Max, who was sitting curiously on the ground.

"PIKAPIKA!" Pikachu shouted as it spotted Team Rocket on the lower level.

"Nice going with all your screaming, James! You woke them up!" Jessie said angrily as she raised a fist at James.

"I didn't wake them up you nutcase! It was the boy screaming that did it," James replied.

A very pissed off Brock picked up infant Max in his hands and ran down the stairs to confront Team Rocket. Pikachu slid down the banister of the stairs following him.

"This time you guys have gone just too far!" Brock screamed at Team Rocket, "Where is the Professor?"

Brock then ran forward while holding a very confused infant Max, and saw the open door of the room the Professor was tied up in. The Professor looked at Brock with relief, and then looked at infant Max with astonishment.

"Professor!" Brock yelled as he ran inside the room.

Brock placed infant Max on the floor as he took the handkerchief out from the Professor's mouth.

"What in the world took you so long to wake up!?" the Professor snapped.

"Well gee, you're real grateful," Brock said sarcastically.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" James said quickly.

"Not yet," Jessie snickered, "I want to make sure they don't follow us. This is one plan I won't have ruined. This device is too amazing to lose again."

Jessie ran into the doorway and saw Brock trying to pull apart the ropes that tied the Professor. Jessie snickered and raised the ray gun and pointed it at Brock and the Professor.

"What! What are you doing?" Brock replied in horror.

"Just making sure my perfect scheme comes together," Jessie said.

"I think it would be better just to make a run for it now!" James bellowed as he tried to change her mind.

"Yeah let's go!" Meowth added.

"NO!" Jessie replied, "The boy and girl twerp are infants somewhere in the lab. The littliest twerp was just turned into an infant. And now if I get the big one and the old geyser, we'd be scot-free to make a break for it without anyone following us!"

"You're going to turn them all into babies?" James asked.

"Yep. This is the most brilliant idea I've ever had. Now we'll finally get away with a plan for once," Jessie said as she aimed at Brock and the Professor.

Brock raised an eyebrow. _Jessie thinks that May is still an infant, she doesn't know that May was already turned back to normal, _Brock thought.

"SNAP OUT OF IT, KID!" The Professor shouted, "Go get my Tyranitar and send it after these three, quickly!

"Good idea!" Brock said as he stood up.

"There's a big hole in that plan," James said.

"PIKA PIK!" Pikachu started readying an electric attack while standing in front of infant Max.

James reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball with a large dent in it. "We already have your Tyranitar, we found it in the desk. We were beaten by your Tyranitar last time, but this time we were ready for it!"

"DAMN!" The Professor grinded his teeth, "You took my Pokeball out of my desk while searching for my ray gun!"

"We're out of options…." Brock said quickly, trying to think of a plan.

"PIKA PIKA," Pikachu threatened.

"I wouldn't do that, Pikachu!" Meowth waved his hand, "If you fire an electric attack, Jessie will zap you before you even blink! Gee, I wonder. Wouldn't Pikachu turn back into a Pichu if he were zapped?"

"Pika?" Pikachu said holding back it's electricity.

"Aha! Good going Meowth," Jessie said as she continued to aim at them with the ray gun.

Brock stood there angrily but realized there was little he could do. He thought, _I don't even have my Foretress with me, how can I defend Max and the Professor and get us out of this mess? And if she fires at us, we're pretty much screwed. _

"Ah what the hey….I might as well zap you guys anyway!" Jessie stated.

"WHAT?!" Brock replied, astonished.

Jessie pressed on the red button on the side of the gun as the light began to accumulate on the sides of the dish again. Jessie sneered as her plan was taking full effect.

The Professor sat there grinning as the light from the gun began to fade instead of firing out.

"Huh?" Brock asked.

Jessie looked down at the gun, "Why….why didn't it work this time?"

"Did you break it?" Meowth asked.

"NO!" Jessie replied.

"That's not it. You lunatics don't realize that the gun needs time to recharge!" The Professor said. grinning, "It wasn't designed to fire blast after blast, it only has enough energy to work once a day!"

"What? You mean this thing only has enough juice to work once a day? Drat!" an enraged Jessie said.

A glimmer of hope appeared in Brock's eye, "Heh, looks like you guys are the ones out of options now."

"Maybe biting off more than we could chew wasn't such a good idea after all, huh?" Jessie said nervously as she looked back at James and Meowth.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Brock commanded.

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted as it released a bolt of energy.

"MOVE IT!" Jessie yelled as she ran out of the doorway and toward the entrance of the lab. James and Meowth quickly followed her to escape Pikachu's attack.

The electric attack had hit the ground but Team Rocket had outrun the attack. Brock ran outside the room with Pikachu and back into the main area of the lab.

He turned back to the Professor before giving chase to Team Rocket, "Stay there and look after Max!" he instructed. Brock and Pikachu then quickly ran to the front doors as Team Rocket ran out of the lab.

The Professor looked down at the ropes that still bound him to the chair, "As if I have any choice in the matter?" he asked himself.

Max looked up at the Professor and started sucking his thumb. The young infant didn't make a sound and just sat there watching everything that was going on.

"Uh…hey there, kiddo! You wouldn't happen to have a knife on you by any chance would'ja?" The Professor asked rhetorically.

The only response from Max that could be heard was the sucking of his thumb.

*~*~~*

"Don't run down the center!" James warned.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Jessie said as she held onto the ray gun with her right hand.

Team Rocket quickly ran slightly to the left as they exited the lab before running straight ahead. As soon as Team Rocket was a few feet ahead standing in the grassy field, they looked at the entrance, waiting for Brock and Pikachu to run outside.

Brock stepped one foot outside the lab and saw Team Rocket a mere ten feet ahead of him. "There they are Pikachu!" he shouted.

Team Rocket grinned as Brock and Pikachu started running straight toward them. Brock noticed the grass he was stepping on seemed a little uneven, but before he knew what was going on he already fell into their trap.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as it stood next to Brock.

The ground suddenly collapsed below Brock and Pikachu's feet. "AHHH!" Brock yelled as he and Pikachu fell down into a pitfall that Team Rocket had dug outside the lab.

"Yes, it worked!" Meowth shouted in joy.

Jessie and James started dancing jovially over their plan working.

"Ugh…I think I've lost count over the number of times we've fallen for this trap over the years…" Brock groaned, rubbing his side.

"Chu…pika," Pikachu said, lifting it's face up from the dirt.

Team Rocket gazed down at Brock and Pikachu from up above.

"You can never be too careful with a get-away scheme," James grinned, rubbing his hands together.

"Yep, looks like digging that pitfall before we broke into the lab was a brilliant idea after all," Jessie laughed.

Brock stood up as his body was still a little sore after the fall. "Where do you guys think you're going?" Brock demanded at Team Rocket.

"We're flying the coop. You on the other hand will be having a nice time trapped down there for awhile," Meowth winked.

"Let's go," Jessie said, "We've won, all the twerps are out of commission."

"We're not going to try and capture Pikachu?" James asked.

"What for?" Jessie bemused, "We already have the Professor's Tyranitar and his ray gun. The device alone will be enough for the boss to change his attitude toward us. And who needs a puny Pikachu when we have a Tyranitar?"

"Good point," James said as he examined the dented Pokeball.

"Oh well, so long! Haha!" Jessie sneered as the three of them started running into the forest at the edge of the field.

"Damnit!" Brock said as kicked a rock in the pitfall, "Team Rocket got away, and Max is an infant! And without that gun, I don't think we'll have a way to turn Ash or Max back to normal."

Pikachu lowered it's ears as it was worried that it would never see it's trainer fully grown again.

"The Professor is still tied to that chair and we have no way of climbing out of here. If only I had my Foretress with me we may have been able to dig our way out. May better wake up soon, she's the only one who can get us out of this mess!" Brock said, crossing his arms.

~*~*~*

Inside the guest room, May started to wake up as she moved her forehead away from Ash's. The girl sat upright in her bed not knowing the disaster that had happened to her friends and brother. She stretched her arms as she looked passionately at the sleeping infant next to her. "He's so adorable," she thought, "He didn't let go of me the entire night."

She took off the covers and gently got up off the bed without waking Ash up. She looked over at the other bed and noticed that Max, Brock and Pikachu weren't in the room. She figured they must have gotten up early for some reason, and didn't think too much about it otherwise.

A groggy Ash started reaching with his hands to feel if May was still next to him on the bed. The boy's eyes were still closed as his hands reached for the girl but only touched the sheets instead. Ash nervously opened his eyes and started to cry when he realized that May wasn't next to him.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ash cried.

May turned quickly as she noticed Ash had gotten up. "I'm right here Ash!" May said softly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Ash looked up at May as he continued to cry while reaching out for her. "Awww…Ash. I told you I wasn't going to leave you," she said as she picked up the boy and held him close to her body. Ash wrapped his hands around May's shoulders as he started to feel safe with the girl holding him again.

May realized that the boy woke up as soon as he noticed that she wasn't leaning against him on the bed. She chuckled as she squeezed her friend in her arms.

"Had a nice sleep?" she asked as Ash looked up at her.

"Y-yea…" Ash whimpered.

"The others must have gotten up already, their beds are empty," May said, getting up from her bed while holding the infant and walked toward the bathroom.

Ash looked around and noticed that they were the only ones in the room. He gripped onto May's yellow T-shirt tightly, wondering where Pikachu and the others were.

May soon realized she was in a bit of a problem. She wanted to go into the bathroom to shower, brush her teeth, and do her morning routine, but she knew that Ash wouldn't let her put him down. There was also nobody else in the room that could watch Ash, and she certainly was uneasy with bringing Ash into the bathroom with her as she did her business.

"Hmmm," May pondered as she cracked open the guest room door and looked out into the hallway of the lab.

The lab was quiet. The machines were off, and there was no sign of Brock or the others. She briefly looked down at the first floor of the lab before going back into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone out there…maybe they're all outside or something?" May pondered as she looked in the bathroom.

She noticed that most of the towels were still dry. She went up to Max's toothbrush and felt the bristles.

"I knew it! My brother didn't brush his teeth or take a shower before running downstairs! Must I do everything for him? If it weren't for me my brother probably wouldn't wash himself for days!" May said, rolling her eyes.

May walked out of the bathroom, carrying Ash in her arms. She placed Ash back down on the bed as she sat next to him.

"Wha?" Ash asked, standing while holding onto May's shoulders for support.

"Ash," she said as she turned to the infant, "I don't know where the others are, but I'm going to have to go into the bathroom for a little while. Can you stay here on the bed and not get yourself into trouble?"

"Wha? Nono!" Ash shook his head nervously, gripping onto May's right shoulder.

"Ash…oh c'mon. I'm going to be riiiiiight there," May said, pointing to the bathroom door.

Ash looked at what she was pointing at. "Listen," May continued, "If you want me to play with you later, I have to leave you here until I'm finished with myself in the bathroom. I won't even be that far away, so there's nothing for you to be scared about."

Ash let go of May's arm and plopped himself down on the bed. He looked a bit frustrated as he wanted to go with May wherever she went.

"Hey I know!" May said as she got up off the bed, "I can get one of my Pokemon to watch you while I'm in the shower!"

May reached into her fanny pack which was on the floor in the middle of the room. She moved her clothes aside as she took out a Pokeball from the pocket.

"Come out, Munchlax!" she said.

Ash watched as the white light formed into a round, glutton Pokemon known as Munchlax. Its fur was dark blue and the Pokemon had a rather absent-minded expression on it's face.

"Alright, Munchlax, I'm putting you in charge of Ash while I'm in the shower. Make sure you play with him and that he doesn't get himself into trouble," she instructed.

"Munch?" Munchlax pointed to infant Ash in a confused manner.

"Oh yeah, that's right," May said as she slapped her forehead, "You didn't know, but Ash was turned into an infant….I was too….but we'll be turning Ash back to normal later today. I just need you to watch him for a few minutes while I'm in the bathroom."

Ash had a devious look on his face as he watched May place Munchlax's Pokeball on Max's bed. The young boy was quickly thinking up a plan to follow May without being watched by her Pokemon.

May picked up her red shirt, her white skirt, her pink bra, and her bandana from the floor. "I'll change into my clothes in the bathroom," May said as she walked to the bathroom door and turned the handle.

Munchlax hopped on the bed next to Ash. Ash looked at Munchlax with intense hatred and contempt.

"OK, Ash? Play with Munchlax until I come out," May winked at the boy as she went inside the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She decided not to lock the door however, just in case she had to run out of the bathroom quickly if Ash got himself into trouble.

Ash blushed as he saw May wink at him. "Heehee," he chuckled.

"Lax…Munchlax!" Munchlax gestured as it held out its hand toward Ash.

Ash looked back at the Pokemon with disgust and fiercely slapped its hand away.

"MUNCH?!" Munchlax said, surprised.

Ash hopped off the bed without thinking and fell to the floor on his hands and knees, the bed was a little higher up than the infant expected. The boy rubbed his legs as he started walking toward Max's bed.

"Munchlax?" Munchlax asked as it hopped off the bed and followed the infant.

Inside the bathroom, May had placed her clothes on top of the hamper near the door. She had just finished urinating, and was now brushing her teeth in the mirror. She started to wonder how well Munchlax and Ash were getting along.

"Gogogogogoogo a-way!" Ash shouted as he tried pushing Munchlax away from him.

"Munchlax, Munch!" Munchlax tried to reassure the infant without being too harsh with him.

Ash's eyebrows raised as he picked up one of May's shoes from the floor and quickly threw it at the Pokemon. Munchlax tried blocking it but the shoe smacked it right in the head.

"Laaaax," Munchlax sighed as it rubbed its head.

"HAH!" Ash said jovially as he picked up May's other shoe and threw it straight at Munchlax's head.

**WHACK!**

The shoe hit Munchlax square in the face and knocked it over. Ash giggled as Munchlax groaned on the floor.

Ash quickly looked up and remembered that May had placed Munchlax's Pokeball on Max's bed. The boy started pulling on the sheets of Max's bed in order to get the ball to fall off the bed.

Munchlax started growling at the infant as it was getting a bit annoyed with him. "Munchlax!" it shouted as it tried to reprimand Ash.

Ash ignored the Pokemon and successfully grabbed the Pokeball as it fell off the bed. "Hmmmm," Ash pondered as he held the Pokeball in his hands.

May turned on the faucets for the showerhead in the bathtub. She lifted off her yellow T-shirt and placed it on top of her other clothes. She then slid off her shorts and undergarments and placed those aside as well.

She looked naively at her body in the mirror. She knew she had a rather well developed body for her age, as her mother had told her about puberty when she was only eight since that's when she started developing. May was only one full cup size smaller than her mother, as her mother had bought her a full B cup bra when she turned ten years old. She pressed against her chest quickly before smiling at herself in the mirror. She then stepped into the bathtub and closed the curtains behind her.

"MUUUUUUNNNNNCH!" a frustrated Munchlax shouted as it tried to pull its Pokeball out of Ash's hands.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Ash shouted as he pulled back on the ball.

Ash continued pulling on the Pokeball as he picked up May's fanny pack from the floor and started whacking Munchlax over the head with it.

**Whack! Whack! Whack!**_"Munch?" "Munch?" "Munch?"_

A frustrated Munchlax kept getting pounded on the head by Ash as the two continued to pull on the ball.

"Gaaagyooo!" Ash shouted.

"LAAAAAAAX!" Munchlax responded as the pounding to its head was too much.

Munchlax let go of the Pokeball as it tumbled backward. Ash laughed as he dropped the fanny pack to the floor and held the Pokeball in his hands.

Ash pointed the Pokeball at Munchlax.

"Munchlax!" Munchlax said nervously waving its arms.

"Heeeheee!" Ash giggled as a red laser came out of the Pokeball and shot at the Pokemon.

The beam then recalled Munchlax back into its Pokeball.

**SUCCESS!  
**  
Ash grinned with amusement as he successfully got rid of Munchlax. Ash rubbed his right cheek in delight and then tossed the Pokeball aside as he went to look for May.

May was showering in the bathtub as she was standing under the showerhead, letting her hair get wet. She picked up a bar of soap from the side and started rubbing it against her arms. She also squeezed some shampoo out of a container and started rubbing it into her hair.

"One thing I gotta say about the Professor, he knows how to keep a bathroom clean," May said to herself and she rubbed her legs with the bar of soap.

Ash walked up to the closed bathroom door. The boy tried reaching for the doorknob but it was too high up for him to reach. He started whimpering as he tried hard standing on his tippy-toes to reach the doorknob to no avail. Ash quickly got frustrated and dropped himself to the ground.

He then noticed some light coming from underneath the bathroom door. Ash laid down on his stomach with his head turned as he tried to look under the bathroom door. All he could see was the bathtub at the very end, but no May. He sat himself up again as he rubbed his eyes calmly.

Ash was desperate to be reunited with May again. He looked around the room for anything that could help him reach the doorknob.

"Aha!" Ash exclaimed as he looked at his backpack and May's fanny pack.

May finished washing the soap off her body as she placed the bar of soap aside. Most of the shampoo had been washed off her hair as well. She turned the faucet as she let more warm water pulsate on her back. She loved taking warm showers, it was one of the things that helped relax her the most. May smiled contently as she stood there letting the water massage her neck and back.

Ash pulled both his green backpack and May's fanny pack toward the door. The boy thought up a plan quickly. He placed his backpack flat down against the door and then placed May's fanny pack on top of his bag. With the items included in the pocket of May's bag, it would give Ash the boost to reach the doorknob. Ash then took one step on top of May's fanny pack, he stood up slowly as he didn't want to topple over and fall. He then brought his other small chubby leg on top of the fanny pack. Ash now stood with the doorknob just above him which was in arms reach. Ash reached up and attempted to turn the knob.

"I sure hope Munchlax is taking good care of Ash. Why do I get the feeling that when I open the door I'll find the entire room in shambles?" May asked herself as she cracked her neck.

The girl pressed her hands alongside her body as she was just about ready to come out of the shower. She pressed her fingers alongside her breasts while staring at the white marble wall in the bathroom. She leaned her head against the wall as the water from the showerhead came down upon her.

"Heh," Ash chuckled as he turned the doorknob.

To his surprise, the door slightly opened! Ash gently stepped off the bags and quietly pushed the door open. The door creaked open with only the slightest sound. The young infant looked in the bathroom and saw May's silhouette through the shower curtains. With the door opened very gently and the curtains blocking her view, along with the sound of the showerhead that masked over any other sound in the room, not to mention with her relaxed state, May didn't know that Ash was inside the bathroom, standing by the entrance.

Ash smiled as he finally got a chance to be with May again. The boy really wanted nothing more than to be with someone that he trusted the most as an infant. He stepped two feet in the bathroom and stared curiously at the shower curtains that May was standing behind. The boy didn't realize that he was doing anything wrong, as an infant he had no morals of right or wrong, only instinct.

May picked her head up from against the wall and turned off the faucets. The showerhead turned off as the last droplets of water could be heard dripping on the bottom of the tub. The girl stretched out her arms in delight as she was all squeaky-clean and ready to find out where her brother and the others were.

Ash now stood four feet in front of the tub, scratching his head. The sound of the water turning off confused him, as the boy didn't know what May was doing in there. He watched naively as he was a bit perplexed as to what was going on.

May then pulled aside the shower curtains and stepped one foot out of the tub before realizing someone was standing there in front of her.

The girl spotted Ash who was staring at her naked body. Her face turned completely red as she felt her head spinning. The girl was embarrassed and shocked at the same time, so much that she nervously grabbed the shower curtains and pulled them back over her body while nearly falling over in the tub. She was desperately trying to register everything in her mind, as too many emotions were racing through her head at once for her to think properly. The girl nervously moved the curtains a little to the right as she poked her head out and peeked at the infant with a flustered expression.

"Hiiiiiiiiii!" Ash smiled naively and waved.

May's face blew up bashfully…..

**"AAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"** she screamed at the top of her lungs in embarrassment.


	10. May's decision

**Chapter 10  
****  
****"May's decision"  
**  
"There...yes…THAT one!" May frantically pointed.

Ash looked at the white towel that was hanging along the rack against the wall. He walked over to it and placed one hand on the towel before looking back at May for reassurance.

"Yeah….that's it! Can you hand me that towel, Ash?" May asked, regaining her composure.

May stood in the bathtub while holding the shower curtains over her body. Only her head and left arm were exposed trying to instruct Ash what to do. Her face was still bright red, and she felt incredibly flustered and bashful over having Ash see her nude just moments before. She continued to stammer in her speech, but was slowly but surely getting a grip on herself and trying to make the best of the situation. She didn't want to walk out of the tub and have Ash see her naked again, since she knew from her own experience that Ash would remember everything as a baby once he was himself again. She wanted the boy to take a towel off the rack and hand it to her so she could at least walk out with a towel wrapped around her body.

Ash was a bit taken back over May's reaction just moments before. He wasn't quite sure if she had yelled at him or not, as he didn't know if he was doing anything wrong. Still, the boy could sense something different about May's demeanor as she cautiously kept the shower curtains over her body. For a moment, Ash almost felt like crying as he was bewildered as to why May shouted his name. The boy managed to hold back his tears however once May started lowering her voice and calmly instructed him what to do.

"The white one, Ash, can you bring it to me?" May asked softly so she didn't startle the infant again.

With one tug, Ash pulled the towel off the rack as it fell to the floor. Ash bent down and picked up the huge towel which he ended up carrying over his head. He shyly walked up to the edge of the tub as he timidly held out the towel to his friend.

"Thanks…" May stammered as she took the towel from Ash's hand.

May nervously stepped behind the shower curtains as she wrapped the towel over her body. The top of the towel covered her breasts while exposing her shoulders and the bottom of the towel went just below her backside and covered right above her thighs.

Ash twiddled his thumbs waiting for May to step out of the bathtub.

Once her towel was wrapped tightly around her body, May took one deep breath behind the shower curtains. Her face wasn't as red as before, and she started breathing normally now after the hectic and embarrassing situation. The girl thought to herself, she knew she had to remain calm with her tone of voice and attitude toward the infant once she stepped out of the tub. She noticed that the boy was struggling to hold back his tears after she screamed his name, and she didn't want to frighten him by her body language or tone of voice again. She took another deep breath while looking down at herself, making sure her towel covered all the important areas.

May said to herself, "I can't stay mad at him, it's not like he knew what he was doing was wrong. After all he's still Ash….my…very best friend…even as a little infant. He's never let me down once during our journey through Hoenn and Kanto, I can't let him down either."

May pulled the shower curtains aside and contently looked at the infant as she stepped out of the tub. Ash was still twiddling his thumbs once he saw the girl approach him. He noticed that her chest and torso were covered by the towel, but her hair and body was still soaking wet from the shower. May kneeled down in front of the boy as some water dripped off her hair and onto the floor. She brought her face directly in front of his.

The young infant stared at her timidly as small tears formed in his eyes. He wasn't sure if May was about to yell at him or not, and was a bit cautious about approaching her.

May smiled and stared at the cute infants' chubby face. "I'm…sorry if I scared you before."

Ash managed to understand her as she stared into his eyes with her face a mere two inches apart. He rubbed his tears as his anxiety started to fade.

"You just surprised me that's all. I was taking a shower remember? I had to get all washed up," she said calmly as she stood back up.

Ash looked up at her as she started flicking back her wet hair in the mirror. She took the hair dryer off the side and began blow drying her hair. Ash watched naively as he was still a bit afraid to say anything. A few minutes had passed as May was just about finished drying her hair. He didn't take his eyes off her the entire time, as he sat on the floor patiently waiting for his friend to be finished.

May combed her slim brown hair to the sides with her fingers to get her hair back to it's usual style. She turned to Ash and smiled, "See? All done!"

A smile cracked on Ash's face as he got up off the floor and started to get anxious as to what she would do next. He started to get so excited that he accidentally bumped into the hamper and knocked it over, thus all of May's clothes that were resting on top of it fell onto the floor.

"Oh," Ash said timidly.

"Tee hee! Don't worry, Ash, it's OK. I'm…going to have to change into my clothes now. Can you…wait for me outside the door patiently?" May asked the infant.

"OK!" Ash said as he nodded his head.

"Thanks, Ash! Let me pick up my clothes first," May giggled as she picked her red shirt and white skirt up off the ground and held them in her hands.

Ash wanted to be helpful, so he went to pick up some clothes to hand to May. The first thing that caught his eye was the bright pink color, as Ash bent down and picked her bra up off the floor. He held the bra from the strap and began examining it curiously. He didn't quite know what it was, as he only fainted recalled seeing May take off her bra yesterday before he went to sleep. He started to squeeze the left cup of her bra with his little grubby hands.

"That's…my bra…Ash. Thanks for picking it up!" May blushed.

Ash playfully put the left cup of the bra over his face as he tried to look through it. He then placed the bra on top of his hair and held it down with his hands as he walked up to May.

"Can I have my bra, Ash? I kind of…uh…need it," May asked cheerfully.

"Here!" Ash said as he took the bra off his head and held it out to his friend.

May took the bra out of Ash's hands and placed it atop her other clothes in her arms. "You must like the color, don't you?" she giggled.

Ash nodded.

"Well…it's time to do what I told you before. I'm going to put on my clothes now, can you wait outside?" May asked.

Ash quickly walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He then ran up to May's bed and climbed up the edge and plopped himself down. He patiently waited for her to come out.

"At least he remembered to shut the door this time. He really seemed to like my bra," May jested as she took off her towel.

The towel dropped to the floor as she took her bra and snapped it across her chest. She looked at herself in the mirror fixing the bra strap and making sure it was on her well-endowed chest. She then slid on her undergarments followed by her blue shorts. She picked up her legs and slid them through her white skirt. She took her red shirt and put her arms through the sleeves. Once it was on, she fixed the collar and pulled the zipper up over her bra. Her mother had always told her to keep her red shirt zippered up to the top, but May liked to leave it opened near her neck instead, as it bothered her being zipped up too high. She then picked up her yellow T-shirt in her hands and exited the bathroom.

"M-ay!" Ash shouted as he saw the young girl exit the bathroom.

"Wow, Ash! I think that's the first time you've said my name!" May giggled as she put her yellow T-shirt inside her fanny pack, "I told you I wouldn't be long. Miss me?" May asked as she winked at the infant.

Ash again blushed heavily once she winked at him. For some reason that got him the most, and May knew it too, as she loved to make him blush and giggle.

May pulled her white gloves over her hands and then tied her yellow fanny pack around her waist. She stretched out her fingers as she bent down and picked up her red bandana. She brought it over her hair and tied the knot at the end around her head.

"May!" Ash said again, clapping his hands.

"Yay! I'm all ready now!" May exclaimed, jumping in the air.

"Tee hee!" Ash laughed, clapping his hands in amusement.

"By the way, what'd you do with Munchlax?" May asked.

"Eh…in…the-re!" Ash pointed toward the Pokeball on the floor.

May rolled her eyes as she picked up Munchlax's Pokeball, "Gee Munchlax, what a great babysitter you turned out to be," she said sarcastically as she put the Pokeball in her fanny pack.

The girl walked back over to Ash and picked him up. May playfully snuggled her nose against Ash's in which the boy laughed hysterically. "You like that, huh?" she asked sweetly as she rubbed her nose against his one more time.

"Ahahaaaa!" Ash laughed.

"Again?" May asked playfully.

"Yea! No-ses aga-in!" Ash giggled.

"OK, here I come again! Snuggle noses!" May chuckled as the two snuggled noses once more.

Ash continued to laugh hysterically as he scratched his nose, "Hahahaochoo!"

"Heh. Alright, it's time to find that brother of mine. Knowing him he's probably goofing off somewhere. It's not easy being an older sister you know," May said.

May opened the door of the guest room and walked out into the hallway. "The machines are _still _off? I thought the Professor would probably put Brock and Max to work by now. Pikachu isn't here either…I wonder where they are."

Ash peered over the railing trying to look for the others as well.

May held the infant in her arms as she continued walking down the hallway, curiously looking for everyone. "Hmm, they're not in the eating area," she said.

"Look!" Ash suddenly pointed to the floor ahead of them.

"Huh?" May said as she noticed a pair of glasses on the ground.

She bent down and picked up the small black glasses from the floor. "These look like my brother's glasses…but they're so small that it looks like a toy."

Ash watched curiously as May began to look at the tiny glasses from all sides. "Eh, might as well hold onto these, maybe the Professor knows what they are," she said as she continued walking toward the stairway.

As she was walking down to the main level of the lab she heard a loud thump. "What was that?" she asked as she started walking hastily toward the sound.

"Ugh…goddamnit!" The Professor whined as his chair tipped over and he fell face first onto the floor.

He tried lifting his face up from the floor and turning to infant Max. "Why don't you make yourself useful and go wake up that cute sister of yours? I gotta get someone to untie these knots!" the Professor groaned.

Max took his thumb out of his mouth. The Professor glanced at the infant as it looked like Max was finally going to say something. To the Professor's dismay, Max only took his left thumb out so he could put his right thumb in his mouth instead and suck on that. The Professor sweat dropped in disbelief as infant Max sat there sucking his other thumb.

"There are more important things in life than sucking thumbs, boy," the Professor said as his voice began to rise, "Now WHERE is that good-for-nothin' sister of yours!?!"

"What?! I'm right here! Wait…a minute…good for nothin'?" May's voice could be heard as she ran over to the open doorway.

The Professor lifted his face up and saw May as she approached the doorway. "Hey, how's it going? Little help maybe?" he asked.

"Prof. Lenient!" May gasped, "Why are you tied to a chair like that? And why are you knocked over on the floor? And….oh…my…god…"

May caught notice of a familiar looking infant sitting on the floor sucking his thumb. She quickly made the connection with the small pair of glasses she held in her hand.

"MAX?!" she shouted nervously.

Max smiled upon seeing his older sister.

"What…what happened? Why was Max turned into a baby!?" May asked nervously as she placed Ash on the floor and quickly kneeled down next to her brother.

Ash didn't know who this new infant was, but he got a little worried that May was suddenly paying more attention to him than himself.

"Ugh…those three screwballs broke into my lab…stole my ray gun…and zapped your brother…" the Professor gasped, while still laying on the floor tied to the chair.

May put her hands over her brothers' face and began nervously touching his body to make sure he was alright.

"Team Rocket? They did this to you, Max?" May asked angrily.

Max nodded as he took out his right thumb and put his left thumb back in his mouth. May picked her brother up from the floor and placed his little glasses back over his eyes. Ash watched, wondering why May was so preoccupied with this new infant.

"Max…you're going to be alright…Team Rocket…how could they?" May angrily wiped a tear from her eye. "They…stole the ray gun too?"

"Yes," the Professor said.

Max sucked on his thumb contently while smiling at his older sister. He recognized her instantly and was quite happy to see her. May hugged her baby brother tightly, but this was a different hug from the ones she gave Ash. Seeing her little brother turned into an infant had a completely different impact on her than when she saw Ash as an infant. For one thing, she knew that Ash was turned into an infant because of her. But for Max, it was a completely different story.

May sat down on a blue chair in the room, holding the infant in her arms. Her eyes were twitching while staring at her little brother. Seeing her brother like this made her feel defeated and discouraged. The brother she promised her parents that she would always protect and look after was attacked by Team Rocket.

"I'm…sorry that I wasn't there to help you M-ax," May sniffed as a single tear fell down her face.

Max took his thumb out of his mouth as his eyes fixated on the single tear sliding off May's cheek. He tried cheering her up by holding her around but it was of no use.

The Professor tried nudging himself along the floor as the sounds of the chair scraping the floor echoed the room. "Ugh, the waterworks are fine but can you at least sit me back up?" The Professor asked impatiently.

May bit her lip in a convulsed manner. She took her arm and wiped it across her eyes as she walked over to the Professor and picked his chair back up so he no longer lay on the floor.

"Thanks…" The Professor replied. He wanted to say more but knew the girl was breaking down emotionally and feeling hopeless.

"I'm so stupid!" May whined in a teary voice, "I-I should have got up earlier….I could have prevented this from happe-ning to my brother. I'm supposed to be there for him always and make sure nothing bad happens to him…but I…failed miserably! I…I…I'm pathetic!"

The Professor frowned as May continued to cry clutching Max tightly against her body.

Ash crawled over to May and started tugging on her skirt. May looked down at the boy but this time there was nothing he could do to reassure her.

"There's…still a way to help your brother…and your friend," The Professor said softly.

May sniffed and looked at the Professor, "But…how? Team Rocket stole the ray gun! They could be stuck like this forever."

"Not quite," The Professor responded. He tried to move his hands and legs but they were still tightly tied down to the chair. "If you calm down, we can formulate a plan to help them."

"H-how?" May asked.

"First go find your older friend…I think I heard him collapse somewhere outside. Pikachu was with him," The Professor motioned with his face toward the door.

"Brock and Pikachu?" May asked as she got up from the chair.

She quickly ran out of the room while still holding Max in her arms. She darted for the entrance of the lab without even bothering to acknowledge Ash. Ash watched May as she ran out of the room and was a bit shaken by the fact that she left without him. The young infant started to crawl out of the room and follow her.

"Ugh," The Professor muttered to himself, "If someone would untie me already I could help them…sheesh."

May exited the lab and frantically looked around the grassy plains to spot Brock or Pikachu. She then quickly noticed a huge hole in the ground a few feet in front of the lab. She ran up to it and cautiously peeked over the edge while holding her infant brother tightly in her arms.

Brock and Pikachu spotted May staring down at them.

"Hey, May! I was wondering when you'd wake up!" Brock said cheerfully.

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu added.

"…you guys fell for one of Team Rocket's traps?" May gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

Brock quickly noticed that May had been crying, she looked completely flustered as she was clenching her teeth while her face was still wet from her tears.

Brock lowered his voice a bit, "I see you found out about your brother."

May nodded, "The Professor said that we can still help him though…Ash too…but he's tied to a chair right now so I came to look for you."

"Yeah, I gave chase to Team Rocket but unfortunately ended up where I am now. Sorry that I couldn't catch them," Brock sighed.

May slowly began to regain her composure once again after seeing Brock in the same predicament as she was. She then noticed Ash crawling out of the lab to find her.

"Ash…I'm over here!" May waved to the little infant.

Ash smiled and quickly crawled over to her. He then grabbed onto her leg to try and balance himself up to stand again. He cautiously looked up at the girl.

"Don't worry, Ash, I'm going to make things right again," she said confidently.

May shifted her brother to her left arm as she took out a Pokeball from her fanny pack.

"I choose you, Combusken!" she declared as she let her Pokemon out.

Combusken, a Pokemon that resembled an orange chicken with strong burly legs appeared beside May, awaiting orders from its trainer. She quickly placed Max down next to Ash as she looked down at the pitfall.

"That's dug pretty deep, but I'm sure we can get them out of there, Combusken," May said as she wiped her face.

"Combusken!" Combusken nodded.

May glanced at Ash and Max sitting next to each other. _I've gotta be strong, for them, _she said to herself.

The Pokemon jumped down the pit and landed in front of Brock and Pikachu.

"Brock, Pikachu, cover your eyes!" May instructed, "Combusken is going to punch away the soil and make it slant upward so you can climb out.

"Good idea," Brock said, "If Combusken is able to make a hill for us by pounding away the dirt, we can simply walk out of here."

Brock and Pikachu shielded their eyes as Combusken stood in front of the dug up soil.

"Alright, Combusken, work your magic!" May said, regaining some of her optimism.

"Combuuuuusken!" the Pokemnon shouted as it started using its fists to quickly make a slope slanting upward so Brock and Pikachu could climb out.

The dirt was pounded away fiercely and quickly as Brock and Pikachu felt the excess dirt being flung around them.

"Oooooh," an impressed Ash said as he watched the fighting Pokemon at work.

Max on the other hand wasn't as interested, as he found sucking his thumb and staring into space to be far more enjoyable.

"Now Combusken, use Sky Uppercut!" May commanded.

"Busken!" Combusken screamed as it pulled back it's arm and punched a huge clot of dirt up in the air.

After a few more moments of pounding and removing the soil, Combusken succeeded in forming a hill out of the soil that slanted upward.

"Combusken!" the Pokemon proudly put its hands on its hips after a job well done.

"You did it!" Brock said, "Now we can just walk up the hill."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said as it ran up the sloped hill of dirt.

Combusken walked out of the pitfall and next to its trainer. Ash stared at the Pokemon in awe. "Yaaaaaaaay!" Ash shouted, admiring May's Combusken.

"You did an awesome job, Combusken, I know I can always count on you." May said as she hugged her Pokemon briefly.

"Combusk!" Combusken nodded.

"Thanks, May! The Professor is still in the lab right?" Brock asked as he walked out of the pitfall.

"Yeah, I left him in there still tied to his chair," May snickered as she recalled Combusken back into its Pokeball.

"I hope the Professor can help us get out of this mess," Brock said.

"I'm sure he will. There's no way I'm letting Team Rocket get away with this," May walked over to her little brother and picked him up. "Don't worry Max, I'm confident that we'll be able to help you now."

Max smiled at his sister. Ash stood there watching, not sure what to do.

"Oh don't worry, Ash, I didn't forget about you either," May winked at her friend, "Hold my hand, we'll walk back to the lab together."

"Oh!" Ash said as he stood up slowly and held May's right hand.

"Nice to see you have everything under control," Brock complimented.

May walked slowly back toward the lab while holding Max in her arms and holding Ash's left hand. She knew not to walk too fast or else Ash's little legs wouldn't be able to keep up with her. Brock and Pikachu followed as they all headed back to the small room where the Professor was still sitting.

"Watch you step now, Ash." May said as they approached the step in front of the entrance of the lab.

Ash raised his leg really high and took a big step so he wouldn't trip. Pikachu complimented its trainer, running along ahead of them.

"Gggh," The Professor grunted, wobbling himself in his chair.

May and the others approached the small room that the Professor was in as he watched them entering the doorway.

"So…is anyone going to give the poor old man a break and cut him loose? I think I'm starting to get a rash from these ropes tied against my skin, who knows where these have been!" The Professor said.

May shifted Max into Brock's arms and took out her Pokeball. Ash held her hand tightly, waiting to see what she was going to do.

"Combuksen, I need you one more time," May declared as the fighting Pokemon leaped right out of its Pokeball.

Combusken readied its claws, approaching the Professor. Its eyes beamed, ready to attack.

"Hey let's not get too hasty here!" The Professor said nervously, "This thing looks like its ready to tear me to shreds!"

"Oh c'mon, Combusken is just going to cut you loose. I'd try not to squirm though, if Combusken misses its mark its claws may slash your skin," May said provokingly.

"Wouldn't just getting a knife be much safer?! This thing looks homicidal!" The Professor exclaimed.

May rolled her eyes, "Combusken use Slash attack! Cut through the ropes bounding the Professor to the chair!"

"Ha!" Ash's eyes wobbled as he was very excited to see Combusken in action again.

"Combuuuuuuu----skkeen!" Combusken leaped toward the Professor readying its claws.

"OH god! I'm TOO OLD FOR THIS!" The Professor closed his eyes in fear as he saw the Pokemon jump at him.

As fast as the blink of an eye, Combusken had slashed through the ropes tying the Professor's body and legs to the chair. The Professor shivered, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

"Uh…you could open your eyes now," Brock said.

The Professor opened one eye and looked cautiously at Combusken, "You mean I'm still alive…really?" he gasped.

"Yep! As far as I can tell you're alright, Mr. Lenient!" May teased as she recalled her Pokemon into her Pokeball.

"Phew," The Professor wiped his forehead. He got up from the chair and set it aside, "Something tells me you wanted to see me cower on purpose."

May giggled as she lifted Ash back up into her arms. "My Combusken was awesome wasn't it?" she asked Ash.

"Aw-sum!" Ash said, clucking his tongue.

"I hate to think about how much time we wasted," Brock said as Max continued sucking his thumb in his arms, "Team Rocket could have gotten far away by now…I'm not sure if we'll be able to track them."

"Hmmm, there's a port at the beach at the end of the forest. Those three ran in that direction didn't they?" the Professor asked.

"Yeah. You're right too, we came through the forest from a port. We had to catch a ferry to get on this side of the mainland," Brock said.

"Then that means that Team Rocket won't be able to get very far without catching a boat!" May exclaimed.

"Those ferries aren't scheduled to leave until 8.p.m., so they're still stuck on the mainland in the meantime….unless they have their balloon," Brock sighed.

"…but Ash popped the balloon with his Swellow, remember? I doubt they were able to fix it so fast," May said, "See, Ash, you _are _a little genius!"

May tickled Ash's stomach playfully which got the infant to giggle once again.

"Let's hope so, in any case we better think of a plan fast. We need that ray gun," Brock said.

"Well, why don't we change Ash back to normal then? That kid had some spark in him, I'm sure he would be able to help you with your search. I was able to complete another batch of my #69 formula overnight, in fact I was going to tell you in the morning before Team Rocket broke in," The Professor said.

May and Brock were quite surprised that the Professor made another batch of his formula overnight. Perhaps he did care for them more than they thought.

"But without your invention the formula is useless isn't it? I mean, how can we change Ash back to normal if we don't have the ray gun?" Brock asked.

"We inject it into the patient," The Professor responded, leaning against his desk, "There is an alternative to using the ray gun to reverse the process with the formula. I can inject the formula into the boy's blood steam instead, and as the serum spreads throughout his body, it will reverse the effects of the ray gun and return him to his original state."

"How…are you going to inject it into him?" May asked, cautiously.

"Why…with a needle of course!" The Professor slapped his forehead, "What other way is there?"

"This is fantastic news," Brock said, "I should have figured that this formula is also an antidote. But…will this way make his clothes grow back to normal too?"

"Good question," the Professor said, scratching his chin. "I've never tested it before but if I mix some of the formula on the fabric of his clothes, it should return back to it's original size as well. All the ray gun did was disperse the energy at the subject in the form of air waves, and using the opposing formula to reverse the process by applying it to his clothes directly should have the same affect."

May turned to Ash in her arms. "Well, Ash, you're going to be old again," she said, softly.

Ash was a bit confused as he didn't fully understanding what May meant.

May then glanced over at her brother in Brock's arms, "Max…" she said reluctantly.

"Would you rather we turn your brother back to normal first May?" Brock asked, "We'd have to wait another whole day for the Professor to make another batch of formula to turn him back."

"We use it on, Ash," The Professor declared, "I need him to help get my invention and my Tyranitar back from those thieves. I'm sorry, but the girl will have to wait a bit longer for her brother."

May looked at the two infants with uncertainty.

"Professor, will all due respect," Brock said hastily, "I think May should be the one making the choice. It's her own brother and her best friend, you saw her crying after she found out that her brother was turned into an infant, didn't you?"

"Sure, I'm just saying that the older boy will be better for the search. You said yourself that Team Rocket can leave by ferry by nightfall. Ash would seem to be the better choice than the kid, I can't let Team Rocket make off with my invention! Besides, the boy told me he didn't have any Pokemon either. Without any Pokemon to battle those thieves, he's not exactly the best choice at the moment," The Professor said.

"Stop making this harder on May than it should be," Brock said angrily, "If May chooses her brother than _he's _the one we're turning back to normal first."

"Listen, bucko, it's my formula that I toiled to create in a single night. I'm helping your friends either way, her brother can stay as an infant for another day. The girl can deal with it, it's not going to kill her," The Professor said, agitated.

"Well I don't think…." Brock argued.

"Pika pikachu Pika!" Pikachu bellowed.

"Will you please stop wasting time with this argument?! We have to catch those crooks!" The Professor yelled.

"GUYS!" May shouted.

The Professor, Brock and Pikachu stopped bickering and looked at May quickly.

"It's OK…" she said quietly, "We should turn Ash back first…we need him and his Pokemon to help us. We…can turn my brother back tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this, May?" Brock asked.

May's eyes twitched, staring at the two infants. "I'm…I'm sure," she said.

"Choosing between your brother and your best friend isn't easy…" Brock said.

"Then it's decided. Let me fill the needle with the formula, and we can begin," The Professor said, opening his drawers.

"May," Brock said.

"Yeah?"

"I think you should go get Ash's hat and sweatshirt too. If he isn't wearing them when the Professor applies the formula, they'll stay small."

"Oh!" May suddenly remembered.

"What now?" The Professor asked while holding his #69 formula in a test tube.

"I forgot, Ash is still wearing his diaper!" May exclaimed, "We have to put his boxers back on too, don't we?"

"Wow I almost forgot about that. You're right but his boxers are in the hamper because he peed on them, remember?" Brock smiled.

"Professor Lenient! Could you possibly wash Ash's boxers quickly in like the blink of an eye so we can do this fast?" May asked naively.

"I'm a scientist not a magician! You'd have to put his underwear in the washing machine, but that will take too long and we wasted enough time as it is," the Professor said.

"Eh, I guess I'll just have to put them back on him. They should be uh….dry by now right?" May asked.

"I suppose so," Brock responded.

"He didn't pee too much did he? I don't want Ash to be wearing that if it was all over!" May blushed.

"Nah, not too much. It's fine May," Brock bemused.

"Hee hee! Sorry, Ash, but we have no other choice," May giggled at the infant.

"Awwww…" Ash sounded disappointed.

May held Ash in her arms as she started to walk out of the room. She stopped to say goodbye to her little brother by rubbing his jet black hair. Max and Brock smiled contently as May then quickly ran back upstairs to the guest room.

May opened the door of the guest room and placed Ash down on the bed. "We need to put your shoes and socks back on too, Ash!" she said, searching the hamper.

"Ah, here's your underwear," she said, holding Ash's boxers.

She walked back up to Ash and lay him flat on the bed. "I'm going to change you now, k?" May asked.

"OK!" Ash replied.

May took off Ash's sweatpants and set them aside. She then removed the velcro on the diaper and took that off. She briefly glanced at Ash's penis before she pulled his boxers over him.

"Guess we're even now eh, Ash?" May giggled, referring to how Ash saw her naked in the bathroom earlier.

"Hee hee!" Ash laughed.

May quickly pulled Ash's sweatpants back on him. She then went over to the dresser and picked up Ash's hat and his blue sweatshirt.

"You're going to have to put these on again too," she said as she pulled the sweatshirt down over Ash's shoulders.

She placed the hat on his head as she then went to look for his socks and shoes. Ash whined as he was uncomfortable with his hat on again. He tried pulling on his hat to take it off just like he did when he was first turned into an infant. May quickly returned with his socks and shoes.

"No no, leave it on, Ash," May said, placing the hat back down firmly on his head, "We have to make sure you're wearing all your old clothes or else these won't turn back to normal size when we change you back."

Ash grunted in disappointment as May started putting on his socks and shoes. After a few more moments, he was wearing everything that he had on when he was originally zapped by the ray gun.

"Well, we're all set," May said.

Ash pulled on the brim of his hat again before looking back up at May.

May's eyes watered, "You know, even if it wasn't for a very long time…I'm going to miss you as a baby, Ash. You were so adorable."

May picked Ash up from the bed and hugged him tightly in her arms one last time. "I'll never forget playing with you as an infant, Ash. I…"

May hesitated as the two stared at each other passionately. "…I...loved…"

"….taking…care of you as a baby."

"May," Ash said softly, wrapping his arms around his friend.

For some reason, turning Ash back to normal felt like May was saying goodbye to a good friend forever. She wanted her old friend back just as much, but she was a bit sad to say goodbye to infant Ash as well. Even though they were the same person, the two Ash's had completely different yet completely heartwarming impacts on May as well.

"C'mon, Ash, let's go age you by a couple of years," she said. She softly rubbed his face as she walked out of the guest room as yet another solitary tear of happiness fell down her cheek.


	11. Getting a grip on things

**Chapter 11  
****  
****"Getting a grip on things"  
**  
The Professor opened the test tube bottle and sniffed the orange formula inside. He then opened one of his cabinets and took out a medium sized needle. Brock watched the Professor as Max was resting on his shoulder.

"Once the girl comes back we'll be ready to proceed," The Professor said.

He opened up the needle and carefully poured the orange liquid inside of it. He took the cover off the point of the needle and closed the back up as he had his fingers on the prongs.

"That needle is sterile right?" Brock asked.

"Of course. As a scientist I would never use contaminated needles, you don't trust me very much do you?" the Professor asked, slyly.

"No, it's not that," Brock replied, lifting Max higher up on his chest, "I want to make sure that nothing bad happens to Ash, he is my friend, you know."

"Yes, yes, I know. Without my invention the needle will be fine, it will be just like taking a shot from the doctor. I'll have to also pour some excess liquid on the fabric of his clothes so they return to their normal size as well," The Professor said.

Pikachu hopped on the blue chair next to where Brock was standing. It looked up at Max who was still contently sucking his thumb. For a brief moment, there was an awkward silence in the room as they waited for May to return with Ash from upstairs.

"How fast will Ash turn back to normal upon receiving the shot? And will his clothes return to normal just as fast?" Brock asked to kill some time.

"Why I'm glad you asked that. It'll happen almost immediately! Just like the ray gun reversed the process within seconds, the formula should do the same. Which is why I have to pour the liquid on his clothes and then quickly give him the shot, or else his clothes will grow faster than he does," the Professor said.

Brock nodded as he started glancing around the room. He noticed a small picture frame in a cabinet behind clear see-through glass. He walked up closer to inspect the picture, which showed the Professor in his younger days standing outside his lab. At first glance, Brock didn't notice anything weird about the picture but before he turned away he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. The date of the photo was imprinted on the side of it. Brock squinted to make sure he read the date correctly.

"Huh?" Brock was astonished. The date of the picture was over 80 years ago!

Brock quickly looked at the Professor who was busy pouring the excess formula back into the test tube.

_Whoa, _Brock thought to himself, _The Professor looks around 30-40 years old in that photo. But if that date is correct…then the Professor must be over 100 years old. He'd be nearly 120...but the Professor right now doesn't look any older than 60. Strange. _

"Something wrong?" The Professor asked as he noticed Brock stepping away from the cabinet.

"Oh, uh…nothing wrong. I was just looking at my reflection in the glass, I think some of my hair is messed up," Brock said nervously, "After all, I did get up quickly when I heard Max screaming about Team Rocket, I didn't even take a shower yet!"

"Oh, that figures. No wonder you smell," the Professor said, holding his nose.

"Eheh," Brock replied, walking back toward Pikachu on the chair.

"I'm back!" May said as she entered the room, holding Ash in her arms.

"Pika!" Pikachu greeted Ash.

Ash waved to Pikachu gleefully. May walked up to her little brother again and rubbed his hair playfully.

"Ah good! Now let's get started," The Professor said hastily.

"Hey, Professor, where should I put Ash?" May asked.

"Just sit him down at the edge of the table. We tried doing this before with the ray gun but you jumped on the table and knocked your little friend off, remember?" The Professor asked.

"Oh, yeah," May laughed in embarrassment.

"Yeah…not to mention Ash would grow really fast in your arms and you wouldn't be able to hold him," Brock said.

May placed Ash down at the edge of the table. His legs hung off the side as May fixed the brim of his hat once more.

"Ready, Ash?" May asked, "You were quite a handful to take care of, but I'll never forget these days we played together."

Ash grinned as the two held hands while waiting for the Professor. May squeezed Ash's little chubby hands as she got a bit nervous thinking about how Ash will be like when he is a teen again.

"OK, listen up," The Professor instructed. He held the needle behind his back with his right hand while he held the test tube with a small batch of the formula with his right. He held it up so Ash and May could see it. "I'm going to pour the formula out of the test tube onto the infants' clothing. This will make his clothes quickly return to their normal size, in about the span of 10 seconds at the max. Each piece of clothing he's wearing will need just a drop of the formula. The rest of the formula is in the needle, which I will be injecting into the boys' arm."

"Hm, why can't you just pour some of the formula onto Ash's skin then? Wouldn't that return him back to normal just like his clothes?" May asked, still holding Ash's hands for comfort.

"There's a difference, the boy is a living breathing person. The cells in his body will need the formula in his blood steam to reverse the process quickly. Clothes are just well…clothes. They weren't de-aged you know, just shrunk to match the boys' new size. What the ray gun did was envelop the boy and everything he was wearing at the same time, as the boy was de-aging and getting younger, the clothes shrunk accordingly so they would still fit him. I designed the ray gun to do that too, aren't I a genius?" the Professor clucked his tongue.

"I suppose so," Brock interrupted, "But it's odd that you created such a device to de-age people in the first place and never told anyone about it, yet you seem to know exactly how to reverse the process. You're so calm about it too as if you've done this before."

"Yeeeeeeeees, because unlike you youngsters, those of us with a couple years on our shoulders tend to have a good grip on things. No overreacting like these two," the Professor said as he pointed at Ash and May.

May chuckled quietly and watched as the Professor took the needle out from behind his back. The orange formula could be seen through the clear casing of the needle. He walked toward the baby.

"Well, boy, let's give you your shot," The Professor said as he approached the boy with the needle.

Once Ash caught sight of the needle he panicked and grabbed May's arms timidly. Everyone in the room looked at Ash a bit astonished as the Professor held the needle toward him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" a petrified Ash screamed as he jumped into May's arms for protection.

"What's the matter?" The Professor asked.

"Gooooo aw-ay! NOOO!" Ash yelled, burying his face in May's chest.

"Eh?" The Professor grunted.

"I think I get it. Ash is scared of needles!" Brock exclaimed.

"Oh c'mon, boy! One little poke in the arm won't hurt! You'll hardly feel a thing," The Professor said.

Ash gripped onto May's arms tightly as he hid his face in May's chest while yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Hee hee. I don't blame him," May giggled, "I'm scared of needles too!"

The Professor rolled his eyes. Max chuckled as the infant remembered how May acted when their parents took them to the doctor.

"Pikachu pika, pikachu!" Pikachu shouted at the youngster trying to calm him down.

The Professor walked a few steps toward May as the boy glanced at him quickly. He caught another sight of the needle and was as petrified as ever.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ash cried.

"This isn't going to work. I need the boy sitting down so I can quickly pour the formula on his clothes and give him his shot right after," The Professor said.

May quickly sized up the situation as she patted Ash's hair to try to calm him down. "Shhhhhhh," May whispered into his ear, "It'll be alright."

May walked back up to the table and tried to pull Ash's hands off her shirt. The boy gripped onto her as tightly as ever, not willing to comply and receive the shot. May pulled on Ash's hands a bit and due to her strength compared to the infants', she was able to slowly pull his hands off her shirt and gently sit him on the edge of the table.

"No-no! Sto-p!" Ash cried frantically as he tried to get back in May's arms.

"Ash, calm down," May said as she held the boys' cheeks with her two hands. She looked into his face and smiled, "The Professor isn't going to hurt you. He's just going to make you big again…like me."

Ash continued to cry only quietly as he started listening to his friend. Brock stood from afar not wanting to distract Ash and make him cry hysterically again.

"Remember when I was a baby too? I was just like you. We played together, remember?" May said, removing her hands from his face and placing them on his legs, "Remember how you wanted to eat that chocolate chip cookie but I took it away from you and gobbled up the whole thing?"

Ash started to smile, "Eheh, ye-a."

"That's right. That was kind of mean for me to do, huh? All your hard work to pull the cookie off the table and I started fighting with you and made you bump your head. It doesn't hurt anymore does it?" May asked, playfully rubbing his hat.

Ash sniffled a bit and stopped crying.

"We fought a lot together didn't we? I remember nearly choking you when I tried to pull your sweatshirt off your head…heehee! I guess I was selfish enough to eat the cookie all by myself while not sharing with you. When we were both older, I was nice enough to share the strawberry shortcake with you from the frisbee game we played. We had to use the same fork too since that was the only one we had," May chuckled.

"Oooh," Ash said, licking his lips and remembering the taste of the cake.

"Yeah, that was from winning the game when you threw the frisbee through the Professor's window which made me score the final point," May said softly.

"Yeah, and I haven't forgotten about that window, you know!" The Professor shouted from the background, "After this fiasco is over, you kids still have six more days of work to do for me to pay off your debt!"

"So, Ash, do you want to be old like me again? I promise we'll still play together," May smiled at the infant.

"Ye-s," Ash said reluctantly, "Be li-ke M-ay!" Ash pointed toward the girl.

"Ash, you're so sweet!" May laughed as she hugged the infant one last time.

Pikachu's eyes watered as it watched May successfully calm Ash down.

"You're going to be all-grown up Ash again," May said, lifting herself back up, "You're going to be big and strong, you'll be able to battle with Pokemon again, and you're going to be very cute and handsome again…" May stuttered nervously, as she stood up after she realized what she just said in front of everyone.

"Uh…that was…sweet, May," Brock said, scratching his face knowingly.

May blushed heavily, "I…I was just saying that as a figure of speech you, know."

Max laughed and pointed at May for the first time since he was a baby.

"Gee, Max, even as a baby you like to pick on me," May said nervously, waving her arms, "I meant to say that Ash was going to be an older boy again…it's not like I'm saying that Ash is attractive…well I mean I'm saying that he will be good-looking again…but not…you know, good-looking where _I _think he's good looking, just being uh…nice looking where _other _people think he's nice looking…"

"OK, we get it, May," Brock laughed.

May blushed even more as she crossed her arms and approached her little brother, "So what are _you _laughing at anyway, Max?"

"Haha!" Max laughed as he put his right thumb back in his mouth.

Ash sat there on the edge of the table, confused. The little boy didn't quite know what was going on.

"Oh for the love of – ALRIGHT, enough stalling already!" The Professor shouted, "I'm going to quickly pour some of the formula on his clothes."

May walked back toward Ash and stood next to him at the edge of the table as her blush started to fade.

The Professor opened the test tube bottle. He quickly poured a drop of the formula on each of the apparel that Ash was wearing. He poured a droplet of the formula on his hat, sweatshirt, his black shirt underneath, his sweatpants, boxers, gloves, socks, and on his shoes. He quickly placed the test tube on the side of the table as he knew the clothes would start growing within a few seconds.

"Now I have to inject him in his arm quickly," The Professor said, bringing the needle toward Ash.

Even though Ash was calmed down, the sight of the needle so close to him scared him again. The Professor was about to poke his arm until the boy jumped.

"NOOOO!" Ash screamed, jumping right back into May's arms.

"Ash….no!" May shouted.

The Professor quickly saw Ash's clothing beginning to grow. Ash frantically kicked back and forth in May's arms.

"His clothes are already expanding! I have to inject him NOW!" The Professor shouted.

"ASH!" May said, trying to turn him to the Professor.

"You'll have to hold him while I inject the needle, we have no other choice!" the Professor instructed quickly.

May quickly turned Ash toward the Professor. She pulled out Ash's left arm nervously and stretched it out enough so the Professor could inject him. Ash screamed and raved but May held his arm out as straight as she could. She noticed the boy's shirt and pants suddenly looking incredibly baggy on him. His clothes were growing rapidly and he wasn't even injected yet!

The Professor held Ash's left arm steady so he could inject the needle. He held the needle with his right hand as he lowered it to his skin. Ash continued screaming, but May and the Professor managed to get his arm still.

"Hurry up!" Brock warned.

His shirt was already beginning to expand which started to cover his arm. The Professor quickly inserted the needle into Ash's skin.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Ash screamed as his eyes bulged.

"THERE! I did it! He should be growing within a few seconds!" The Professor said as he backed up from May.

"Wuh?!" Ash said as he turned back to May's arms.

"Hey, Ash…you're starting to feel...REALLY HEAVY!" May gasped as the boy was quickly growing in her arms.

May started wobbling backward as she was still holding onto Ash. The boy was growing and quickly returning to his original height and weight.

"GAH!" May shouted as the weight of Ash toppled her over.

May fell behind the table as Ash fell on top of her. The Professor and Brock couldn't see what happened as the ends of the table blocked their view.

Within a few moments more, Ash returned to his original age. His clothing had also returned to their original size.

May was on the ground with her back flat against the floor. A now teenage Ash lay directly on top of her. Ash and May's bodies laid perfectly symmetrical with one another, as they were both nearly the same height.

Ash's eyes were closed as his face rested on top of May's face, as their chests, torsos, crotches, and legs also laid symmetrical on top of one another. May tried to open her eyes as she felt the weight of Ash resting on top of her body. She felt her chest pressed hard up against his, their legs intertwined, as well as the heat from his face emancipating on her own. The girl was a bit flustered as Ash was in full body contact with her.

"A-sh?" May asked softly.

Ash started to open his eyes as he felt their cheeks laying on top of each other as well as their bodies pressed up against one another.

"Ugh….MAY!" Ash said astoundingly as he quickly lifted himself off her body.

May was bewildered as she lay on the floor looking up at Ash who was towering over her. She quickly snapped out of her gaze as she lifted up her body to stand.

"It worked!" The Professor declared happily.

"Hey, Ash, how's it feel to be your age again?" Brock asked jovially.

Pikachu greeted it's trainer happily as it jumped right into his arms. Ash was a bit absent minded as Pikachu licked his face. He quickly realized what had happened and hugged Pikachu tightly.

"Hey there, little buddy!" Ash said as he squeezed Pikachu in his arms.

May watched as Ash hugged Pikachu as if the boy were someone she never saw before. The girl had mixed emotions flying through her mind while watching him. She had been so used to caring for Ash as an infant and mothering him, that seeing him back at his normal age and as her friend again was quite a shock. She knew she had to completely change her demeanor toward him, as he was no longer a little baby who wanted her to carry him. He was now a well-built, dark haired and attractive looking teenage boy, and she found herself having difficulty changing her attitude toward him so quickly. She wanted to ask him something but couldn't form the words, as she backed up again bringing her hand toward her mouth with some uncertainty.

Ash quickly remembered everything he did as a baby. He tried to hide his initial shock, but he looked over at May's direction as he tried to comprehend the different feelings he had toward her as an infant. He quickly discovered that as an infant he was almost completely infatuated with her, and just as she had difficulty reacting to Ash being a teen again, Ash had difficulty seeing May in the same light as he had before. Ash's arms began to tremble as he was quite embarrassed and unsure how to interact with her now. He remembered the feelings of love, trust, and bonding he and May shared when they slept together, when May fed and took care of him, and how he wanted nothing more than to be with her. The quick flashes of memory of resting against her chest, sleeping next to her, as well as seeing her naked gave him quite a complex barrage of emotions in his head.

May and Ash nervously felt the same way about each other now that he was his normal age again. She realized that Ash remembered how she cared for him. Meanwhile Ash realized that May remembered how much joy he gave her as an infant, and how much of a bond they shared.

Ash and May nervously made eye-contact while standing a few feet apart. The two quickly glanced away as slight blushes appeared on their faces. Neither of them had the courage to say something as simple as a gesture to one another, as they couldn't quite absorb how different they acted toward each other when he was an infant.

Ash bit his lip as he remembered walking in on May as she came out of the shower. The image of May standing right in front of him in the bathroom as water dripped off her voluptuous body was still fresh in his mind. This was even more embarrassing for Ash to grasp then the previous instances of May taking care of him. He slowly and clumsily walked toward the blue chair at the other end of the table and let Pikachu jump out of his arms.

"Ergggggh," Ash groaned as he was perplexed in a train of thought while staring at the floor.

"Ha ha! The experiment was a complete success! I knew the procedure would still work without my ray gun, I really must give myself a pat on my back for this," The Professor kicked his heels as he discarded the needle and put the test tube back in a cabinet.

May didn't budge from the other end of the table. She held her own two hands in front of herself nervously as she was too timid to acknowledge anyone or even move. The girls' thoughts were fixated on Ash, as she knew that he was remembering everything they did together. She also was completely flustered as to how to talk with Ash again, as the feelings toward him as an infant were still lingering in her mind. But this Ash was no longer an infant, and for May to quickly remember the "other" Ash that was her mentor, and best friend, was quite a shock to get used to again.

"Hey, Ash, you feel alright, right? We had a pretty fun time taking care of you as a baby," Brock bemused.

"Uh…" Ash nervously looked up at Brock as he lost his train of thought, "…yeah…I feel alright. I…."

"C'mon, boy!" The Professor shouted happily is as he slapped Ash's back, "Now that you're able-bodied again I'm sure you remember that Team Rocket made off with my ray gun and my Tyranitar!"

"Oh yeah!" Ash said as he quickly regained his composure, "Professor….thanks. I almost forgot about Team Rocket…I was thinking about something else."

"Something else?" the Professor snorted. "What else is there to think about? Now I know you were an infant for a good day and a half, and I suppose you do have some getting used to as a young man again. No more crawling on your knees and wearing diapers and making me wish I never met the lot of you….but it's time to get your head on your shoulders because I need your help to find that Team Rocket bunch!"

"Yeah…and…!" Ash tried to say before trailing off into thought. The embarrassment of seeing May nude quickly struck Ash like lightning. It wasn't the fact that he saw a naked female body for the first time that got him, but the fact that he was embarrassed that he saw May, his best friend like that, and was a bit too shaken up on how to talk to her again.

May nervously lifted her head up in Ash's direction. She took a deep breath before she gasped and uttered a sound in a shaky voice, "A-sh!"

Ash's eyes bulged as he looked over in May's direction. His throat was dry, and he hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Y-ea?" he asked in a high pitched voice.

May was taken back that Ash responded so quickly. This was the first time they spoke with one another after the procedure, and even though it was just one word a piece, the interaction hit them like a ton of bricks.

A sweat drop dripped off her face as she licked her lips. "N-ice to…" May coughed to hide her embarrassment, "Nice to ha-ve you back."

"Uh…tha-nks," Ash responded, scratching his face.

Brock noticed that the two were behaving strangely around each other. He figured the two would be a bit nervous due to all the mothering May gave him, but he didn't expect it to this extent.

"Ash," Brock said to get his attention, "We have to find Team Rocket quickly. We spent a lot of time here, and they could have gotten far away by now. We gotta make sure they don't get off the mainland by ferry. Are you going to be well enough to help us?"

"That's right. We wasted a HELL of a lot of time already. Hurry up boy!" The Professor slapped Ash on the back again in order to encourage him.

"OK…just stop hitting me already!" Ash said impulsively, "I…I need to get my Pokemon though. They're upstairs."

The Professor nodded as Ash walked out of the room. Pikachu shouted, "Pika, chu, pika!" and followed its trainer out of the room.

May let out a deep breath once Ash left the room. "Phew," she gasped.

She then clumsily walked over to the blue chair that Ash was sitting on and slouched when she sat down. Max watched his sister from Brock's arms as the girls' face looked troubled.

Ash walked up the stairs and opened the guest room door. He looked around the room and saw his backpack on the floor. He unzipped the bag and took out five Pokeballs which contained his Pokemon. He put three in his left pants pocket and two in his right. Ash then sat down on the edge of the bed and rested his face on his hands.

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked as it hopped on the bed next to Ash.

"Oh jeez…how can I ever bring myself to face her again?" Ash asked Pikachu in a worried voice, "Everything she's done for me as a baby…it seems so awkward now that I'm my own age again."

Ash looked up at the bathroom door as the image of May's figure flashed across his face. "Oh man," Ash said as he hid his hands in his face.

Ash was quite nervous about how to approach May now that he saw her completely naked. He had already known about the feminine figure before, and while seeing nude female anatomy for the first time was shocking, it wasn't exactly a complete revelation to him. He had seen girls in bikinis at the beach many times during his adventure, and having grown up with his mother until he was 10 and left on his journey, he was quite aware of what the female body looked like.

Ash quickly thought about the times that he saw May in swimsuits back on Dewford Island. He remembered admiring May's figure as her various bikini's were nicely fit and showed off some cleavage, but it was a completely different scenario with actually seeing May's body parts in the flesh without something covering them up.

It wasn't the nude female body that got him, but it was **May's **nude female body that got him. The girl he had taken under his wing to train since he arrived at Hoenn, as well as the girl he trusted, admired, bonded, and cared for had a big impact on his guilt that he saw her naked.

Ash stood up from the bed as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder. He took a deep breath as he fixed the brim of his hat once more.

"Well, Pikachu, I'm going to just have to make the best of it," Ash said, "I hope May and I can put that moment aside and be good friends again just like we were before."

Pikachu was confused as he didn't know what Ash meant, having not been there when Ash walked in on her.

"Heh, I really remember everything she did for me. We slept in each other's arms, and I still feel the same affection toward her now as I did when I was a baby at that moment. It's going to be a bit hard to adapt now after all that's happened, especially since I became so close to her," Ash grinned, "But no matter what, she's still my best friend. And we gotta find Team Rocket, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu responded happily.

May walked out of the small room and back into the main area of the lab. She raised her fanny pack a bit higher on her waist. She walked down the aisles aimlessly with her arms crossed.

She still felt the same attachment toward Ash now as she did when he was a baby, but she also felt the strong bonds and admiration toward him as a teen. May walked down the aisles as she looked at her reflection from one of the machines.

She came to a realization. Ash wasn't just her best friend.

Ash was her hero.

May's face broadened as she fixed her hair and walked back to the front of the lab. Brock continued to hold Max in his arms while the Professor shut the door of the small room. They then quickly noticed Ash and Pikachu running down the stairs.

May watched passionately as Ash approached them. She was still a bit nervous about interacting with him, but she was calmer than she was before.

"I sure hope we're able to find Team Rocket, I really can't believe those guys sometimes. No matter how many times we defeat them, they keep coming back for more. They should have realized by now what they're doing is wrong," Ash sighed.

"Some people will never learn," Brock said.

"I decided to turn you back to normal first for a reason, I think you'll be a good asset in finding those crooks," The Professor said.

"I'll do the best I can!" Ash said in a bold voice.

"You're not taking your backpack, Ash?" Brock asked.

"No, it'll only slow me down. I have my Pokeballs in my pocket. That's all I need," Ash said assuredly.

May stood silently watching the conversation from afar. She smiled contently thinking how mature Ash was to leap into danger to help so quickly after being turned back to normal.

Ash turned to Brock, "Are you coming?"

"I – can't," Brock said, "I have to look after Max. I don't think bringing a baby with me would be such a good idea either, especially if it gets dangerous. I don't think May would approve of getting her little brother in danger either…right, May?"

"Wha?" May said as she snapped out of her train of thought, "Oh yeah, you're right Brock. I'm upset enough as it is that Team Rocket turned my brother into a baby, I wouldn't dare let him get into any more harm."

May walked up to Brock as she rubbed Max's back. Max cheerfully grunted upon receiving his sisters' comfort.

"What about you, Professor?" Ash asked.

"Are you kidding me, boy? I just told you I turned you back for a reason. You expect me to go running in the fields out there looking under every nook and cranny?" The Professor snapped.

"But it's your ray gun and Tyranitar!" Ash retorted, "Don't you want to make sure we get them back safe and sound?"

"Yes, yes, I'm absolutely ecstatic about that! But I need to make sure that those three don't come back to my lab either. One thing I learned in my lifetime, is that crooks always come back to the scene of the crime once they succeed. Besides, I'm not so sure Mr. Babysitter here will do such a great job defending the place, " The Professor responded.

"Hey! I can help out with my Foretress to defend the lab," Brock defended himself brashly.

Ash walked toward the door of the lab as Pikachu stood next to Brock. May approached him.

"You're not going alone, are you?" May stammered.

"Hmmm, noooo…." Ash said as he turned to May and grabbed her shoulder, "You're coming with me."

"I-am?" she asked a bit surprised as Ash pulled her beside him next to the doorway. Ash let go of her arm as she stared at him a few feet apart.

"I mean of course I'll be more than willing to go, I gotta make sure Team Rocket knows not to mess with my family," she finished.

"Good, because I'll need the help," Ash said as he winked at May, "We'll find them just like we always do."

May's eyebrows raised as she saw him wink at her. She quickly understood this was in response to all the winking she gave him as an infant that made him blush.

"Heh, right, Ash," May responded cunningly, "I know my brother is counting on me. Heh, I'm sure he'd rather be turned back to normal by the ray gun than receiving a needle. My brother never liked needles either."

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked.

Ash turned to his Pokemon. He looked briefly at Brock, Max and the Professor and realized they needed help.

"Sorry, buddy, but I need you to stay here," Ash said as he kneeled down and patted Pikachu's head.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked disappointingly.

"The Professor is right, Team Rocket could come back to the lab," Ash stood up and looked at Brock, "And Brock only has one Pokemon with him, not to mention he has to take care of Max. I need you to help defend the lab in case Team Rocket shows up."

"Chu…" Pikachu frowned.

"I'm counting on you, Pikachu. I know you're the best, you'll do a great job defending the place," Ash said.

"Pikachu, pikachu pika," Pikachu understood it's trainer and ran back toward Brock and Max.

May grinned, "And I'm sure that even if Professor Lenient won't admit it, he'd like a bodyguard!"

"Wuh?" The Professor responded in a overpowering voice, "If those three lunatics show up here again I'll give 'em a good ol' knuckle sandwich."

The Professor started clenching his fists and threw punches in the air.

"I'll show 'em all what's for, a few socks to the head and a couple of black eyes will teach them never to mess with me again!" The Professor exclaimed as he threw an uppercut in the air.

Ash and May smiled as the Professor got so into his punching that he accidentally started bumping into Brock.

"Hey, watch where you're going here!" Brock exclaimed as he stepped away quickly, making sure he didn't lose his grip on Max, "I was standing right next to you, you know!"

"Oh, sorry about that," The Professor grinned, putting his hand behind his head, "I get a little carried away sometimes. Heck, did I mention I used to be a boxer back in the day?"

"Uh…I hope this is not going to be a long story," Brock sighed.

"Uh yeah, we better get going," Ash said as he turned to the door.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon Max!" May said as she blew a kiss with her hand toward her little brother.

Max took his thumb out from his mouth and waved goodbye to his sister happily.

"Get going then!" The Professor said, "You only have a few hours before that ferry leaves. There's a good chance they'll try to leave the mainland on that."

The Professor turned to Brock, "Now then, would you like me to tell you about the time I won the heavyweight boxing championship?"

Brock sighed as he shook his head, "Ugh…I know I'm going to regret this, but let me hear your story."

"Pikachu Pika!" Pikachu waved.

"See ya, Pikachu, make sure you help Brock out with Max!" Ash said. He then turned to May, "Let's go, May."

"Right," May said cheerfully.

Ash and May walked out of the lab side by side to search for Team Rocket. The two still had lingering feelings of embarrassment over their time together as infants, but they were more than ready to take care of the situation at hand. Ash grinned as May eagerly walked beside him ready to find Team Rocket and retrieve the Professor's ray gun and his Tyranitar.


	12. In between a Tyranitar and a hot place

**Chapter 12  
****  
****"In between a Tyranitar and a hot place"  
**  
Ash and May walked quickly through the grassy plains heading toward the forest that they originally came to the lab from. They walked along the sea of grass as the shrubs and trees started getting more abundant. The two stepped over some bushes on the outskirts of the forest and walked along the cleared road set for travelers. The sun was shining down on the forest as the day was still young, and a gentle breeze swept through the air as Ash and May's hair blew gently.

Ash and May were mostly silent since they left the lab. He didn't say a word to her as they were walking through the forest, likewise she didn't utter a sound either. Neither one was comfortable enough to talk with each other now that they were alone, as they were still uncertain about how the other felt about the infant incident. He could feel some uneasiness as he watched her searching the forest alongside him.

During their search for Team Rocket, the two would nervously look at each other after searching through some shrubs and trees. This was followed by an uneasy stare by the two, which only met with awkward silence afterward as they turned away again.

May sighed as she pushed aside some bushes in some hope that she might spot Team Rocket. She didn't like the awkwardness she felt around Ash now. He used to be the person that she felt the most comfortable with on her journey, she would never hesitate to express how she felt on certain things with him, and would always make it blatantly clear on stuff she liked and what she didn't like. She never had any trouble talking with Ash before, but now she felt _shyness _around him. She would glance up at him as he searched the woods on the other end of the road, try to formulate words and call out to him…only to turn away again without uttering a sound.

May snapped a branch off the bush she was pushing aside in frustration. _Why do I feel so timid that I can't even talk to him? _May thought to herself, _Ash and I always used to say whatever was on our minds without hesitation, why can't I just say something, __anything, __without hesitating and holding my tongue. I hate this! _

May took the branch she was holding and forcefully threw it against a tree. The girl was incredibly frustrated with herself that she couldn't even say a word to her friend. She knew that most of the uneasiness was due to the fact that a few hours ago she was mothering him as an infant, and now a few hours later he was a teenage boy who was older than her by four years. But that couldn't be the only reason, could it? She got up from the shrubs and walked back into the clearing on the main road. She watched Ash as he was walking by some trees looking along the ground for any clue as to where Team Rocket was. The girl grinded her teeth as she was trying to get a grip on herself and act naturally around him like she always did, but the awkward silence still filled the air.

Ash kicked aside some fallen branches with his foot as he looked along the woods. While he was really searching for Team Rocket, Ash's heart wasn't in his search. His mind was still on May, as he was still trying to absorb the uneasiness between them. He knew that part of the reason that they were avoiding each other in the forest was because they didn't quite know how to interact with one another. The conversation they shared in the lab was mostly a show, a farce so that Brock and the Professor wouldn't notice anything strange between them before they left. May played along, as both she and Ash knew that they had to make it appear that everything was fine between them. But Ash knew that there was something awkward, and he knew that May felt it too.

He rested his palm on the tree as he naively looked back at her in the clearing as she was walking slowly with her head down. She had an upset expression on her face as she roamed the dusty dirt road as the occasional leaves fell off the trees around her. He noticed that May wasn't even bothering to look for Team Rocket anymore, she was just roaming the road aimlessly as she randomly turned to some bushes to make it look like she was still searching.

He sighed as she leaned her back against a tree and crossed her arms. One leg was bent so that her foot was resting flat against the tree while she was standing on the other. The girl stared at the ground trying to figure out what exactly was wrong.

"She…looks lonely, standing there all by herself," Ash muttered to himself, "Something's troubling her."

Ash knew that they weren't going to be able to find Team Rocket in the state they were in, he knew something had to be done. The boy took a deep breath as he removed his palm from the tree. He had to talk with her and break the awkward silence, only then would she be able to open up again and act like she used to. Ash slowly walked out of the woods and toward the clearing.

May looked up as she saw him walking toward her. She raised her eyebrows as she stood away from the tree. "This silence has got to end," she said to herself as she walked toward him.

The two walked toward each other until they were standing next to each other in the middle of the dirt road. Ash and May looked at each other cautiously, each wondering who would speak first. May's sapphire eyes lit up as the girl noticed that Ash was about to speak.

"Errm….May? Is something bothering you?" Ash asked, cautiously.

She was a bit surprised at his first question, as this was the first thing he said to her since they left the lab.

"Uh…no! Not really…" May scratched her arm nervously, "Well yeah…I'm kinda…well frustrated."

He knew immediately how she felt.

"Frustrated that we're both seemingly avoiding each other and not saying a word to one other?" he said slyly.

May chuckled quietly, "Yea that's it. I don't like it, I don't like this at all."

"I know what you mean. It's really quiet while we're searching the woods. I just kinda couldn't bring myself to say anything to you, May."

"But why is that? I…" May looked at Ash in the eyes, "I never had trouble talking with you before. For some reason I feel kind of…you know…shy."

"Maybe seeing me older again was too much a shock after you took care of me as a baby?"

"Probably. I think it's because…I don't know what you thought about it, Ash."

Ash grinned, "That's what I'm going to tell you right now. I want to say thanks, you really did a great job making me feel comfortable yesterday when I was a baby."

"Heh, well somebody had to take care of you," May said, beginning to feel more comfortable talking with him, "Even if you were a rotten brat most of the time."

"Heh, well from what I remember you weren't exactly an angel yourself as an infant. I think I can still remember that bump on the head you gave me from knocking me off the Professor's table when he was about to turn me back to normal the first time," Ash said, cracking a smile.

"That didn't hurt that badly did it?" May held her hands behind her back as she walked closer to Ash, "You have a thick head, I'm sure it didn't hurt that much."

May stood up on her tippy toes and gently knocked on Ash's head with her fist. "Yep, it's as hard as a rock!" she said playfully.

Ash smiled as May backed up a few steps. They both noticed that they were finally interacting with each other the way they used to, as most of the awkwardness was fading away. Perhaps talking was the best way to explain their emotions to each other, even if it meant taking time out of the search for Team Rocket.

"Heh, I remember how happy I felt when you were holding me too. You never hesitated to pick me up when I needed you," Ash said.

"Well you were so adorable you know, I couldn't resist," May said, rubbing her shoe nervously in the dirt, "Just like my brother is now…I was probably cute as a baby too!"

Ash motioned with his hand to continue walking along the dirt road. May walked next to him as the two continued to walk deeper into the forest. Her face beamed as she continued holding her hands behind her back. Both of them were quite pleased that they were able to have a conversation so easily, especially when they both felt awkward around each other.

"So Ash," May said happily, "What happened back at the lab…you remember it all right?"

"You mean as a baby?" Ash asked as he turned to her, "Of course, didn't you say you remembered everything you did too?"

May stepped over some fallen branches as the two walked over the shrubs and into the deeper part of the forest. There were scattered leaves all over the ground which crunched as the two stepped over them.

May blushed as she was about to ask Ash something he experienced as an infant, "How…did you feel about sleeping with me?"

"Huh?" Ash uttered.

"You know…when we slept in bed together," May's blush grew as she felt herself getting more embarrassed. She struggled to say her words as her voice cracked. "I…held you in my arms as we slept, you didn't want to sleep alone, remember?"

"Yea…I know," Ash coughed.

"Aside from sleeping next to my mother and father when I was a little girl, I think you're the only other person I've ever slept in the same bed with Ash," May said, fixing her hair.

"Well I _was _an infant, it would be a different experience from sleeping in the same bed with you now," Ash said, laughing.

"Tee hee!" May giggled, "Yeah, imagine if we slept in the same bed together like we are now? That would be really embarrassing."

"I…don't think we'd even fit on the same bed together," Ash mused.

"I know, I'd probably kick you off the bed accidentally while we were sleeping. I remember my Mom and Dad saying that only adults should sleep in the same bed together," May said, thinking about her parents.

Both of them were completely unaware of the sexual connotation they alluded themselves to. After all they are still kids, and neither Ash nor May had a good grasp on adult situations and themes.

"So you didn't mind then?" she asked, as she quickly stood herself in front of Ash so she could see his reaction, "I was kinda wondering what you'd think about that."

Ash looked to the side quickly as he didn't quite know what to say. "D-on't worry, May. I think it was the best night of sleep I ever had in a good while to be honest."

May nodded. It was a relief for her to hear that Ash didn't think of her too differently after they slept together, which was one of her concerns.

Ash marched forward as he looked back at May who was standing a few feet behind him, "I wonder what Brock and Max thought about us sleeping together, you know. I mean, they saw us when they went to bed didn't they?"

May rubbed her chin, "I guess so. I don't think my brother would think that was too strange. I couldn't just let you sleep by yourself, could I? And I'm sure Brock understood that as well."

Ash remembered how content and comforted he felt when she held onto him as they slept. He remembered how the warmth from her body helped him fall asleep faster, and how she rested her chest against him. Ash shook his head and chuckled over his conflicting emotions from his infant personality and his current one.

May continued looking around the forest trying to figure out if what they were doing was a waste of time. "Ash, shouldn't you send your Swellow out so we can search by air as well?" she called out to her friend.

"You're right," Ash said, "We spent so much time thinking about each other that we're not really focusing on the search...eheh."

"Heh, I have to admit. I'm not really searching as hard as I should be," May admitted while kicking a fallen tree branch.

"Yeah, we have to stop getting ourselves distracted with each other," Ash smiled.

"Well maybe if you stop thinking what I'm thinking, and I stop thinking what you're thinking, we can you know…" May trailed off.

"…find the Professor's ray gun and Tyranitar? Yeah, that would be a good idea," Ash snickered as he threw out a Pokeball.

"Yeah…the sooner we find Team Rocket the better," May said as she crunched the tree branch she was standing on.

The flash of light formed into the bird Pokemon, Swellow. The flying type had dark blue feathers with a white underbelly and a colored beak. Swellow soared in the sky above the young travelers. It looked down at Ash knowingly.

"That's right, Swellow, Team Rocket again. You know the drill," Ash nodded with his hand on the brim of his hat.

"Swellow!" the flying Pokemon yelled across the skies as it started flapping its wings over the forest.

Ash and May watched as the bird Pokemon flew overhead and out of sight.

"Is it kind of sad or what, that Swellow knows that Team Rocket stole something of ours almost immediately when you send it out?" May asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sad on Team Rockets' part I'd say," Ash jeered, "Swellow knows by now how to find them, I think the quickest rate in which Swellow found Team Rocket was in like two minutes flat."

"Ha! Swellow makes a great sentry. I really should capture myself a flying Pokemon someday now that I left Beautifly with my Mom," May said.

"Yeah, I've had three of them so far. Flying Pokemon not only do great searches, but their flight is absolutely crucial in battle. Pokemon constantly soaring in the air can confuse their opponents," Ash told her.

May continued raising a finger as if she were teaching, "And flying Pokemon move so fast in the air that they can give a series of swift physical attacks to their opponents during battles and knock them out before they even know what hit them."

"That's a great strategy, May, who told you that one?" Ash asked curiously.

"You did," May winked.

"Oh…well I guess I did mention that one day or another," Ash laughed.

"I have a good memory, I'll never forget some of your battle strategies Ash," May said as she walked ahead of Ash.

"Ehheh," Ash grunted nervously as he quickly trailed behind her.

~*~*~*~*

On the other side of the forest, deep within the heavy trees and foliage blocking the view from outsiders lie Jessie, James and Meowth on the ground. The three of them were resting on their backs with crumbs of food all over their faces on top of a folded out white tablecloth. They were gazing absent-mindedly at the branches of the trees in the sky. Sitting next to them were several bags of food, with a bunch of half-eaten food sitting on various plates.

"Ah, that felt good," Jessie burped.

"You mean the backrub Wobbufett gave you?" James asked.

"No you moron, I'm talking about the food," Jessie picked up her head angrily.

"Yeah, it's always great to treat yourself to a victory feast after a job well done," Meowth smiled as he sat up.

"Heh, I really must say we did a good job this time. I told you all that practice battling would make our Pokemon stronger," Jessie said, resting on her knees.

"All that training really did pay off," James bellowed, "I never knew practice battling could be so fun either!"

"What was da' score last time any'way?" Meowth asked.

"Hmmm, good question, Meowth," Jessie pondered, "I think I beat his Cacnea…3 – 0!"

"That's not true, you liar! It was my Cacnea who beat your Seviper 3-0! You got it the wrong way!" James yelled.

"Oh well…I can't be bothered to remember all the details…AHA!" Jessie laughed, covering her face.

Meowth and James frowned.

"Gee, I wonder if she says things like this on purpose or if she really is delirious," James asked Meowth.

"I t'ink we found out that answer years ago," Meowth sighed.

"You two DO realize I'm sitting right in front of you?" Jessie asked angrily.

"Yeah well, we don't even bother insulting you in secret anymore," James put his hands behind his head lazily, "Now it just comes naturally."

"You're testing my patience, James," Jessie said, grinding her teeth.

"Meh. Don't worry, Jimmy, we only need to put up with her until we get back to da bosses mansion," Meowth said, "Then we'll be so filthy rich that she won't have any reason to yell at us anymore. We'll all be stinkin' rich in the moola!"

"Yes…one can dream of a day with no torment or cruelty from a certain red haired woman," James replied.

"How about I just strangle you two right on the spot? That way I'll be able to keep all the bonuses and cash for myself," Jessie threatened as her forehead pulsated.

"She does have a point, Meowth. I like my neck muscles the way they are," James said, sitting upright.

"Pah! At least I have nine lives as backup," Meowth sat up a bit worried, "Oh wait…or is that only seven lives I have now? I remember nearly being done in three times…or wait was it four times?"

Suddenly Meowth received a punch straight to his face which knocked him flat on his back.

"If you have any fractured bones I guess you only have six lives now, huh?" Jessie sneered after she gave Meowth a fist to the face.

"That looked painful, are you alright, Meowth?" James asked.

Meowth pressed his paws against his face in pain and spoke nasally, "You know I really gotta learn to keep my big Meowth shut sometimes."

"Idiots," Jessie said, wiping the crumbs off her face.

She then crawled on her knees over to the bags of food. The Professor's ray gun and the Pokeball containing his Tyranitar were sitting next to each other. Jessie picked up Tyranitar's Pokeball.

"Hmmm, do you two think we'd be able to bring this Tyranitar under our control?" Jessie asked.

"But how? It belongs to that old fogey. Surely it will notice its master isn't here and turn on us, especially since it blasted us away once before when we tried to steal it," James said.

"You worry too much, James. After all, this Tyranitar is _our _property now, is it not? It has no choice but to obey," Jessie sneered as she stood up.

Meowth and James stood up nervously as it looked like Jessie was about to throw the ball.

"And what if it starts attacking us! Our perfect plan could be ruined!" Meowth shouted, raising his arms.

"Then I'll quickly recall it back into it's ball. I may be a genius but I'm not stupid," Jessie laughed, "If I can't control it than I'll just force it back into its ball and leave it to rot until we see the boss."

"I don't know about this, what do you think, Meowth?" James asked.

"It's not like we have a choice in the matter. This is Jessie we're talking about," Meowth said, sadly.

"The depressing truth comes out," James sulked.

"Aha! You two just need a little more faith in me. Come out Tyranitar!" Jessie commanded as she threw the Pokeball in the air.

A flash of white light formed from the Pokeball which slowly started to take shape into the seven foot beast. Jessie, James and Meowth stood next to each other as they watched the light form into the Professor's Tyranitar.

"Raaar," Tyranitar grunted as it looked around. It noticed that it was no longer in the lab, and that the Professor wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Wow…that thing looks…kinda scary…up close," Jessie said, a bit fearful.

"No kidding!" James said as he and Meowth squeezed each other tightly.

Tyranitar's eyes bulged as it realized that Team Rocket were the same crooks that broke into the lab once before. It roared loudly as its screech could be heard throughout the forest.

"Gah! It doesn't look too happy!" Meowth said as it squeezed James around.

"Swell?" Swellow said from the sky as it heard a loud sound roaring from the other end of the forest. The bird Pokemon quickly changed directions as it swooped over to the source of the sound.

Ash and May stopped in their tracks as the echo of Tyranitar's screech had reached them. Unfortunately for them, they were nowhere near the spot where Team Rocket was.

"What the heck was that?" Ash asked.

"I don't know but whatever it was it sounded angry," May stuttered.

"C'mon…" Ash motioned as he turned around, "Let's start walking in this direction."

May followed him as the two started walking toward the source of the roar. Ash was too caught up in the roar that he wasn't looking where he was going and tripped over a rock.

"Argh!" Ash grunted as he fell face first into the dirt.

"Uh….Ash?" May asked as she walked in front of his face.

"Little help?" Ash said as he lifted his hand up toward May.

"Heh, even though you're not a baby anymore, Ash, I'll still help you," May said as she extended her hand down toward him.

He grabbed her hand as she helped him stand up from the ground. Ash stood next to her as he brushed the dirt off his shoulders.

"You're ok, right? You don't need me to wipe away your tears now do you?" May asked mockingly.

"Nah," Ash replied.

May turned around as the two started walking deeper into the forest again. Ash walked slowly behind her as he felt some guilt eating away in the back of his mind. There was still one thing bothering him that he wanted to tell her.

"Damn," Ash sighed, "May!"

May turned around a bit confused, "Huh? What is it?"

Ash hesitated a bit as May stood in front of him. She stared at him innocently as she walked a bit closer to him. He took a quick glance at May's figure which only further solidified his guilt.

"May…I want to apologize to you," Ash said quietly.

"Apologize? What for?" May asked curiously.

She noticed that he quickly looked down at her chest. She raised an eyebrow as she realized what this was about.

"I want to say I'm sorry," Ash held his right arm quietly, "I'm sorry for walking in on you when you were taking a shower."

A startled May had red blots of embarrassment appear on her cheeks.

"I'm sure you know already, it's something that I felt guilty over once I knew what I did. I just wanted to tell you. I…didn't want to see you like that without your consent," Ash confessed.

May eyes began to water as she didn't quite know how to respond, "But, um…" She cleared her throat as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'll…"

Ash walked next to her and turned his head to her, May continued to stare toward the ground.

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's ok. I don't expect you to either. I just wanted to apologize, I…didn't want to embarrass you like that. And I had no right to see you naked either," Ash said guilty, as he turned aside.

May clenched her teeth. She turned to Ash quickly and grabbed his arm, a surprised Ash looked back at her as she held his right arm from a distance.

"Thanks for being honest, Ash," May said as she let go of his arm.

He put on a half smile. She looked at him passionately as her eyes wobbled in typical emotional patterns.

"I believe you, Ash," May smiled, "I won't hold it against you. Even as an infant I know you just wanted me to play with you."

"Thanks," Ash replied.

As Ash started walking again May impulsively ran ahead of him to stop him in his tracks. She still had something on her mind.

"You…still clearly remember what I looked like when I stepped out of the shower?" May asked impulsively.

"It was only for like three seconds before you pulled the curtains over yourself anyway…but I erm…still have the image in my mind," Ash gasped.

"Oh." May stammered. "I'm kinda feeling embarrassed around you again."

"Hey, you got a peek at me too remember?" Ash said to cheer her up.

May giggled, "Ash…but that was different. You were an infant, so even though I changed you it wasn't well…quite the same."

Ash pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes more, "I guess."

"So, do you think we can put this embarrassing moment behind us?" May asked, clasping her hands.

"I'm willing to forget it if you are," Ash winked.

"Heehee, you're winking at me on purpose aren't you?" May asked, referring to how she winked at him as an infant. "It's just that my Mom told me to never let a boy see me naked…I don't want her to find out about this."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Ash said as he started walking again.

"Can I ask you one more thing about this?" May asked as she leaped in front of him once more.

"What now?" Ash asked, getting slightly impatient.

"I didn't…look _bad _did I?" May asked a bit crestfallen.

"Erm, you….looked…" Ash struggled with his embarrassment, "You looked uh…nice."

May nodded. The two shared friendly smiles and gestures as they continued walking through the woods. He was relieved that he finally got his guilt off his chest.

~*~*~*~~*

On the other end of the forest, Tyranitar marched one foot forward toward Team Rocket. Jessie now shared James' and Meowths' fear as the three of them held each other around trembling.

"M-a-ybe th-is wasn'-t such a goo-d i-dea," Jessie said, shaking.

"Y-ou th-ink?!" Meowth yelled.

Tyranitar pulled back its arms as it looked like it was ready to send Team Rocket flying through the air. The angry Pokemon suddenly noticed food out of the corner of it's eye. It looked over to where Team Rocket's picnic was, and saw a bunch of meat, fruit, and snacks lining the tablecloth on the ground.

Team Rocket caught wind that Tyranitar was looking at their food, and quickly devised up a plan.

"Ty-ranitar?" James asked rubbing his hands together.

"Rrrrrrraw?" Tyranitar turned to James.

"The…uh…Professor has agreed to uh…let us take you out for a walk…" James said nervously, trying to think of something to say.

"Unh yeah!" Jessie continued anxiously, "He decided to make up with us…and uh…in order to be on good terms with your lovely master again he told us to treat you to a nice buffet!"

"…?" Tyranitar grunted as it looked back at the food.

"Just t'ink about it!" Meowth waved his arms, "We have all kinds of good food. Sandwiches and cake and chips and soda and…"

"Yes he's right!" James interrupted as he pranced in front of the Pokemon, "Now wouldn't eating all of our food…I mean _your _food be much better than sending us flying through the air?"

Tyranitar roared again as it wasn't buying Team Rocket's scheme.

"AHHHH!" James screamed as he quickly jumped away from Tyranitar.

Tyranitar grinned devilishly as he stomped the ground with his right foot. The ground trembled around it as Team Rocket struggled to stand.

"GAHHH! It's like a mini-earthquake!" Jessie shouted as she held James in fear.

Tyranitar stomped the ground one more time as the shock forced the trio to fall on the ground. It then grinned as it walked toward the food sitting on the ground.

"I don't like where dis is going!" Meowth said as he stood up.

Team Rocket watched as Tyranitar opened the bags of food and started throwing it in his mouth. The Pokemon took one snack after another and scarfed it down quickly. Jessie, James and Meowth's jaws dropped to the floor as Tyranitar was eating all their food.

"Uh…that's right Tyranitar. All that grub is for you!" Jessie said nervously as she rubbed her hands, "That's right….help yourself to your hearts content!"

James covered his mouth so that Tyranitar wouldn't hear him, "Jessie! This giant lizard is going to eat up all our food! Why don't you just recall it back into it's Pokeball while it's back is turned?"

"No," Jessie whispered back, "Don't you see? If we pretend that we're acting nice to Tyranitar then maybe it'll believe us. Besides, what good is a big strong and powerful Pokemon to us if we can't even use it? It'll be a waste to just keep in it's ball."

"I dunno about this," Meowth whispered, "How da ya know it won't just turn on us after it eats up all our grub?"

"Good point," Jessie whispered.

Tyranitar held the bag in the air as the last morsel of food dropped in its mouth. The Pokemon chewed the cracker and after it swallowed it tossed the bag aside. The giant Pokemon didn't catch notice of the ray gun however, which was sitting next to some shrubs at the edge of the tablecloth resting on the ground. The Pokemon turned brashly toward Team Rocket.

"It looks like we're gonna be murderized!" Meowth whispered frantically.

"What are we going to do? Just put the thing back in it's Pokeball quickly!" James warned.

"You two are so pathetic and useless. Can't you think of anything?" Jessie sneered, "Well I know, how's about this?"

Tyranitar watched as Team Rocket got into a group huddle discussing their plans. Tyranitar couldn't hear what they were saying but wasn't going to wait around much longer.

"Excellent!" James said, hitting his hand with his fist.

Team Rocket let go of each other as they faced the towering seven foot Pokemon. The three put on fake nervous smiles as Jessie and Meowth walked around to his back. Tyranitar looked hastily as to where they were going.

"Hey there, big fella!" James yelled to catch it's attention, "Are you feeling depressed lately? Big ol' scales getting you down?"

The Pokemon looked at James like he was crazed. Jessie and Meowth leaped onto Tyranitar's back as they climbed up to his shoulders. Tyranitar turned his head wondering what the heck they were doing.

"Now there there ,Tyranitar. How's about a nice backrub to sooth your tensions?" James asked happily.

Jessie started massaging Tyranitar's left shoulder while Meowth started rubbing his paws against his right one. Tyranitar growled angrily.

"Aw…now who is a big bad fella in need of some pleasure?" Jessie said, rubbing its left shoulder.

"Yeah, Tyranny! You should just relaaaaaaax. We'll make you feel as good as new….gah!" Meowth screamed in pain as he rubbed his paws too quickly over one of Tyranitar's scales.

The Pokemon towered over James not looking anymore content. James waved his hands nervously to calm it down.

"Hey hey! Let's not be too hasty! We let you have our food and now you're enjoying a nice backrub! Isn't that enough?" James asked frantically.

"Tyrrrrraaaannnnnitar!" The Pokemon roared as it shook Jessie and Meowth off his shoulders.

Jessie and Meowth fell to the ground as they crawled quickly behind James.

"It didn't buy it!" James yelled.

"Well how was I to know that it wouldn't like a massage! Just about everyone does!" Jessie panicked.

Tyranitar formed an orange ball of light in it's mouth as it looked menacingly at Team Rocket.

"It's going to fire a Hyper Beam at us!" Meowth warned.

"Zaaaaar!" Tyranitar roared as it shot the beam of light from it's mouth.

"Hit the dirt!" Jessie yelled.

The three of them ducked to the ground with their hands over their heads. The Hyper Beam just missed them as it made contact and destroyed some trees behind them. Jessie, James and Meowth looked up as Tyranitar started forming another Hyper beam in it's mouth.

"Run for it!" Jessie yelled.

"GAH!" James and Meowth panicked as they all ran in different directions.

Hyper Beams started shooting out in every direction, all of which missed Team Rocket but ended up blowing up and destroying the trees in the forest. Trees burst into flames as the ground exploded upon receiving impact by this colossal energy attack.

Swellow swooped over the forest until it spotted beams of light being shot from the ground. It dove down to get a closer look in which it then spotted Tyranitar firing bursts in every direction. Several trees were catching fire due to the attack, as well as ground being overturned in the explosions. It stopped mid-flight next to a tree as it also spotted Team Rocket running frantically in circles trying to escape it's blasts.

"Swell!" Swellow nodded as it found Team Rocket.

"Run for your life!" Meowth screamed.

Jessie hopped over a blast that nearly hit her legs, "I'm not made for these kind of gymnastics!"

"AHH!" James cried as he felt the beam of light just narrowly missing his hair. The light had fired right above his head and narrowly missed him, "Just recall that thing in it's Pokeball Jessie!"

"You're right!" Jessie held the Pokeball in front of her as she aimed it at Tyranitar.

Tyranitar saw what Jessie was trying to do as it fired another Hyper Beam in her direction. Jessie panicked as she hit the dirt and dropped the Pokeball which started rolling away from her.

"The ball!" Jessie panicked.

"Swellow? Swell!" Swellow exclaimed as the Hyper Beam hit the tree right next to it!

The bird Pokemon looked frantically as the force of the blast managed to knock the tree off its roots. The rather large tree had a very thick trunk, and it ended up snapping in half as the top came crashing down.

"SWELLOW!" Swellow cried in fear as the giant tree started falling in its direction.

Swellow frantically tried to fly away but the heavy trunk of the tree slammed down on its back. The mighty bird Pokemon was slammed into the ground as the top half of the tree came crashing down on top of it. The Pokemon lay in pain on the ground as the tree trunk was on top of its entire body, only leaving its head free from the impact.

"S-w-ellow?" Swellow cried as the fallen tree had crushed its body.

The pain was too intense for the flying type as it collapsed under the pressure of the tree trunk which had just slammed down on its back. The Pokemon was about to faint due to the intense pain.

It uttered one last cry for help, "Swellow swell!" which translated to "Ash….I failed," before the flying type fainted on the ground.

Unbeknownst to both Team Rocket and the Tyranitar, Ash's Swellow clung desperately to life as its body was crushed and trapped under the fallen tree.

"Dammit!" James gasped as he darted for the Pokeball on the ground.

"TYRANITAAAAAAAR!" The Pokemon shouted in triumph.

James frantically pointed toward the Tyranitar while having his stomach flat on the ground. "Return!" James shouted.

The beam of red light shot out from the Pokeball and made contact with Tyranitar. The Pokemon didn't quite have time to react as the light pulled the Pokemon back inside it's Pokeball.

An ominous silence filled the forest with only sounds of burning trees and flicking fire echoing throughout the woods. James stood up nervously as he held the Pokeball in his hands. Jessie and Meowth slowly walked toward him as they all brushed the dirt off themselves.

"You…got it back into it's ball," Jessie said.

"Yes I did," James gasped, "Finally."

"The ray gun!" Meowth suddenly remembered, "Make sure it wasn't damaged in the blasts!"

"Oh crap!" Jessie shouted as she quickly ran over to the tablecloth they were sitting on.

She quickly looked over the ground as she spotted the ray gun, safe and sound. Jessie bent down and picked the device up in her hands.

"It looks OK, I don't think it was hit by any of the blasts," Jessie said, examining it.

"Phew, dats a relief. At least it's not broken," Meowth wiped his forehead.

"I knew this was a bad idea, Jess!" James said angrily, lowering the Pokeball.

"You're right, we should have just kept it in its Pokeball and gave it to the Boss. He'd know how to handle a Pokemon like this. Whose idea was it to let Tyranitar out of it's Pokeball in the first place?" Jessie asked softly.

"IT WAS YOURS!" James and Meowth shouted in unison.

"Ugh, you two don't have to rub it in," Jessie sneered.

"A lot of these trees are burning up, the whole forest could catch on fire," James said fearfully.

"Well let's not stick around while it spreads," Jessie stated.

"C'mon youze two, let's get outta here! All this noise could have warned the twerps of our location!" Meowth said as he started marching out of the forest.

Jessie and James quickly followed him. "Oh don't worry, Meowth, I bet those twerps have no idea we were here," Jessie said.

The three of them quickly ran out of the forest holding the ray gun and Tyranitar's Pokeball. A few of the trees around them were burning up in flames, as the fire slowly started to spread to other trees in the immediate area. Little did they know that Ash's Swellow was still badly injured in the forest, as its bones were crushed by the weight of the heavy tree….

~*~*~*~*

"Ugh…what the heck was all that noise?" May asked, pushing some branches out of her face.

"It sounded like a Pokemon battle or something…" Ash said.

"Do you smell something?" May asked as she sniff the air.

"It smells like smoke!" Ash said angrily, "There must be something caught on fire ahead."

Suddenly, something hit Ash like lightning. For some reason, he knew that his Swellow was in trouble.

"Swellow?" Ash asked a bit confused.

"Ash?" May asked.

"My Swellow…for some reason…I think it's hurt or something," Ash said nervously looking around the vicinity.

"How do you know that? It's probably still searching overhead," May tried comforting him.

"I…I don't know. I just had this strange feeling wash over me…that's all," Ash started to shrug his shoulders.

May walked up to Ash's back and placed her hand on his right shoulder, "C'mon Ash, I'm sure it's fine. Let's at least keep heading to where all that noise came from. We may find something there."

Ash looked at May and smiled, "You're probably right."

"If there's a fire though we better get out of the woods. It could spread all over the trees and grass…maybe even surround us!" May said nervously.

"I'll make sure we don't get ourselves into danger, I'll promise you that, May," Ash said boldly.

The two continued walking forward as they stepped over the cracking leaves and dead branches. The faint smell of smoke filled the air, as the two were completely unaware that they were heading into a burning inferno due to the thick foliage blocking the view from all directions.

"Swellow," Ash muttered under his breath, "Please be ok..."


	13. 13 is an unlucky number

**Chapter 13  
****  
****~13 is an unlucky number~  
**  
"He's different than the other two," the Professor noticed.

"He's so quiet, he barely ever says anything," Brock replied.

"What would you rather have, a chatterbox?"

"I don't mind either way, really. It's just funny how different he is from his sister and even Ash."

The Professor and Brock were sitting on opposite couches while Max sucked his thumb contently on the floor. The Professor kicked up his heels and rested his legs along the entire couch. He rubbed his belly with his hand while he clucked his tongue.

"Hey, Max, are you hungry?" Brock asked softly.

Max looked up at him and shook his head.

Pikachu suddenly ran across the floor and hopped over the Professor's couch. He bounced off the Professor's stomach which made him jerk his body.

"OOF!" The Professor sat up quickly and spat some saliva out of his mouth, "Oh am I going to get up and give that Pikachu a good kick in the behind."

"Pika…kapi?" Pikachu sweat dropped nervously.

"You know that hurt, didn't you?" A disgruntled Professor said, "How would you like it if I bounced off your stomach?

"Uh…aren't you taking this a little too seriously? It was an accident," Brock said.

"PIKA," Pikachu shouted as it ran toward Max.

The young infant started playfully pulling on Pikachu's tail. Pikachu smiled at Max as he yanked on his tail.

The Professor stopped in his tracks and slowly got a hold of himself. He wiped his brow and sat back down on the couch.

"Sorry," The Professor grunted, "As I told you before, I don't get company much."

"We've noticed," Brock said, folding his hands.

"I really hope those two find my ray gun quickly, there's still a lot of work you guys need to do for me," The Professor said.

"Do all your machines do all your work for you?" Brock asked quickly to change the conversation, "You told us you worked for Devon Corp., but what exactly is it that you're trying to help them accomplish? Why do you work for the company?"

"I work for them because I have to make a living. Usually it's just me and my machines here…it gets kind of lonely most of the time," The Professor yawned, "As you know guests are a rarity here. So I program the machines you saw downstairs to help me with my work."

Max and Pikachu held hands as the two started walking around the room. It seems like Pikachu was the "person" that Max was opening up to the most. Max grinned as Pikachu took it on a little tour around the small room.

"I am also an inventor and over the erm… _years, _I've been trying to solve something that no human being on this planet has been able to," The Professor said.

"Would that have anything to do with that ray gun you created to de-age people?" Brock asked.

The Professor noticed that Brock was starting to get very nosy with his work. He fixed his hair a bit suspiciously.

"Maaaaaybe. That's one piece of the puzzle," The Professor said.

Pikachu and Max looked up on the shelves on the room, another device similar to the ray gun rested on the top shelf. May had seen this device before when she accidentally turned herself and Ash into infants, but she ignored it in favor of the other ray gun instead.

The Professor eyed Max and Pikachu as they were looking up at the top shelf. Brock cleverly followed the Professor's gaze trying not to make him notice. Brock saw another mechanic gun with a dish-like antenna at the end resting on a shelf. He wondered if it was a device that did the same thing as the one that Team Rocket stole.

Max accidentally stepped on Pikachu's foot as the little yellow rodent cried out in pain. The electric Pokemon let out an electric attack as a defense mechanism which happened almost instantaneously. The electric attack fired above it toward the top shelf in the room, which ending up breaking it off its hinges. The metallic gun that rested on the top shelf came falling down to the floor.

"OH CRAP," The Professor yelled as he darted for the device.

Brock quickly leaped off the couch as he also darted for the device. "I got it!" he yelled.

The Professor and Brock both missed it as they ended up crashing into one another. The metallic gun fell on the floor as the shelf fell down on top of Brock and the Professor's head.

"GAH!" The Professor shouted angrily as the wooden shelf fell on top of him.

"Ugh, now that hurt," Brock grunted as he pulled the shelf off them. The two of them got up as they rubbed their heads.

"That's the second time today you hurt me, you electric rodent!" The Professor fumed.

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu shook his head nervously.

Max laughed and put his right thumb back in his mouth. While the Professor bellowed, Brock bent down on the floor and picked up the metallic gun. The Professor nervously looked back at Brock once he saw him pick up the gun.

"Hey, give me that!" The Professor said as he snatched the gun out of Brock's hands, "This better not be broken."

"That gun, it looks almost exactly the same as the one that turned my friends into infants," Brock said sternly.

The Professor lowered the gun once he saw that it was fine. "No. This doesn't do the same thing as the other one."

"Well what does that one do? If it can turn Max back to normal…" Brock said.

"It CAN'T!" The Professor shouted. His tone of voice suddenly shifted to a high pitched tone, "This device uh….cures hair loss!"

"What?" Brock was astonished.

The Professor rubbed his hand along his bald scalp and then fixed the ends of his hair over his ears. "Hair loss is no joke my friend. I've uh…been trying to find a way to re-grow my hair for years!"

"Really?" Brock asked.

"Of course really. What do you think this does? Why would I lie to you?" The Professor said as he quickly stashed the device away in his desk drawer.

"No reason," Brock replied, "Just a little curious, that's all."

The Professor noticed that Brock was still a little untrusting. He didn't completely believe what the Professor had just told him.

"How old are you?" Brock asked impulsively.

"What? Why are you asking me such a question? Don't you know it's not polite to ask an elderly ones age?" The Professor stuttered.

"There's something more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?" Brock asked with a straight face.

The Professor slapped his forehead and rubbed it down the rest of his face. He walked away from Brock slowly and looked up at the room thinking. He knew that Brock was started to get a little suspicious. After all, he was the only one of the four that didn't get turned into an infant, and thus had more time to assess the oddities of the Professor and the lab. The Professor turned around and walked back to him.

"Want me to let you in on a little secret?" The Professor asked slyly.

"Such as?" Brock asked.

"Heh. Ever wonder what it's like to live throughout the ages? Ever wonder how the world will be like 200 or so years in the future? Well…let me tell you boy," The Professor approached Brock's ear.

The Professor whispered in a low voice, "Living forever isn't as impossible a concept as some believe."

Brock was a bit startled as he backed up a bit, "You're…not joking are you?"

"'Fraid not my friend," The Professor said, cracking a smile, "Having all the women you want and having infinite time to explore and invent new things is just a click away."

Brock raised an eyebrow, "All the _women _you could want? That sounds interesting," Brock said trustingly.

"You like the ladies?" The Professor asked.

"Well…yeah. Why wouldn't I? It's just that I've never really been that….successful," Brock admitted, rubbing his arm.

"Hmmmm, maybe as a good gesture I'll help you with that after your seven day work period is done. You and your friends DO have a debt to repay me, remember?"

"Uh sure…but how…?"

"Don't try to absorb all of this at once," The Professor turned the doorknob and started walking out of his room, "After all, my 269 year old bones need time to rest too."

The Professor shut the door as he walked out of the room.

Brock stood there completely dumbfounded as Pikachu and Max looked up at him.

"I don't believe it…" Brock was astounded, "I was right!"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"The Professor wasn't kidding, I think he HAS discovered something that no other person on this planet has," Brock said, elated.

Brock looked down at infant Max as he realized exactly how the Professor did it.

"He keeps on extending his life!" Brock slapped his forehead, "He's…he's made himself practically immortal," a flabbergasted Brock said as he fell back on the couch.

~*~*~*~~*

Meanwhile, two weary trainers were about to find themselves in a life threatening situation. Ash and May continued running through the forest, pushing shrubs, branches and foliage out of their way. Heavy smoke started to fill the air, but the two were completely unaware at how serious the situation was.

May panted, "I think we should turn back…there's way too much smoke around here, Ash!"

"I will…I just gotta see what happened on the other side of these trees," Ash gasped as he coughed into his arm.

Ash knocked aside a tree branch as he saw flames quickly spreading from tree to tree. May caught up to Ash and stood next to him, as they were both completely dumbfounded as to how this happened. Many of the plants and shrubs on the ground were burning, and the trees which towered nearly 11 feet in the air were also catching on fire. The wind was something to be concerned about as well, as it carried the fire from the leaves of the trees to the rest of the forest.

Ash and May started to cough as the area they were standing in was filling with smoke. Ash looked horrified as he witnessed the entire forest burning up before his very eyes.

"This whole place is burning up! How could something like this…happen?" Ash grunted.

May quickly hopped aside as a tree fell down in her direction. The burning tree crashed to the ground and made a loud thump on the ground. She was mortified as she was only a few inches apart from being crushed by the large tree.

Ash pulled on May's arm to bring her over to his side, "You're ok, right?" he asked nervously.

"That tree almost hit me!" May gasped as she watched the flames on the leaves spread across the grassy ground. She quickly turned to Ash and panicked. "Ash, we HAVE to get out of here now! We could get ourselves killed!"

Ash nodded as the boy looked around the forest with fear. The burning tree that fell had blocked the way they came from, and the flames on the leaves and branches were too big a risk to jump over. Without thinking, Ash grabbed May's hand as he pulled her with him to the right of the burning inferno.

"We can't go forward…that's where the whole place caught on fire…" Ash gasped as he ran gripping onto her hand, "And we can't go back either, so we'll just have to make a turn here!"

"This should lead us back to the dirt path for travelers, right?" May asked as she ran alongside him, "If we get there we could at least be out of the burning forest."

Ash and May coughed and panted as they continued running across the grassy forest, hoping to get back to the dirt road. Suddenly, more burning branches that had collapsed from the trees above fell in front of them. Ash and May stopped in their tracks as yet another one of their paths had been blocked. Ash was desperate to get himself and May out of danger, and quickly pulled her with him northeast hoping to find a way to escape. The two continued to desperately zigzag around the burning ground as more and more trees and branches started to collapse due to being on fire.

"Ugh, I can barely see where I'm going since all these trees are so thick. Not to mention all the smoke!" Ash coughed as he gripped May's hand tightly.

May frantically stopped in her tracks as she pulled Ash back toward her. "ASH!" she cried, "How do you even know we're going in the right direction?! The whole forest looks exactly the same, we could be heading deeper into the forest instead of toward the open road!"

"There's no time to worry about that!" Ash retorted, "We gotta keep moving! As long as we keep running we won't get caught up by the fire. If we stop, we're as good as dead!"

May let go of Ash's hand in fear. She gasped as she looked around seeing the fire quickly spread around them. "The fire is starting to surround us, Ash!!!" she yelled nervously.

"Ugh…!" Ash panted as he started coughing heavily.

May started stepping backwards as the thick smoke started to hinder her view. She then caught something out of the corner of her eye.

"That…that can't be…!" a distressed May yelled as she saw a familiar Pokemon that lay under a fallen tree.

"May…where are you?" Ash yelled out, waving out his hand.

Ash had one eye closed as he staggered around the forest while he tried reaching out for his friend. She quickly spotted him and pulled on his arm so she could bring him over to her side.

"ASH!" May yelled as she brought him next to her, "I think that's your Swellow over there!"

"What?!" Ash said alarmed.

May pointed toward a knocked over tree which lay on top of a badly injured Pokemon, Ash's Swellow.

Ash grunted nervously as he darted for his Pokemon under the fallen tree. He rested one palm on the bark while he kneeled down and looked fearfully at his Swellow. The poor flying type was unconscious, it looked badly injured as a small puddle of blood lay around it.

Ash was absolutely petrified as he looked at his Swellow. His eyes wobbled as he felt a mix of anxiety, fear, and rage racing through his mind. The boy didn't know if Swellow was still alive, and was scared stiff just thinking about it. Ash quickly rubbed his arm over his tears as he tried lifting the bark of the tree.

"No…" May muttered as she ran over to him. Her heart leaped into her neck upon seeing Ash's Swellow battered and bleeding under the tree. Swellow looked like it was near-death. She clasped her hands nervously as the fire continued to spread around them.

"UGGGGGHHHHHH!" Ash grunted as he tried lifting the bark with his hands, "MAY, GET OVER HERE AND HELP!"

May snapped out of her gaze quickly and placed her hands on the bottom of the bark. The situation at hand was far too dire to hesitate upon, as an impulse drew her to try and summon her strength to lift the tree.

"Swellow…" Ash cried, looking down at the unconscious Pokemon, "I'll get this off yooooouuu….May, try lifting it as hard as you can!"

Ash and May used all their force to try and lift up the fallen tree. The two struggled as tears formed in their eyes from the smoke. They continued to pant and cough as it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Unfortunately, the lumber weighed far too much for two young teens to lift, as they were unsuccessful in lifting it even an inch.

"It's too damn heavy!" May gasped as she let go of the tree.

She coughed and spit saliva out of her mouth as her eyes burned from the smoke. She nervously glanced around her as she noticed that the fire completely surrounded them! The entire forest appeared to be engulfed in flames, and it was only getting worse. If it weren't the fire that got them, the heavy smoke would.

Ash collapsed on the ground as he got on his knees next to his bird Pokemon. Swellow's head was cocked upright on the ground as blood lay beneath it. It's eyes were closed as it looked like it was in intense pain. More tears fell down Ash's face as he couldn't bear seeing one of his Pokemon this way.

May coughed heavily as she dropped down next to Ash. "The fire…it's all around us...we gotta get out of here!" she warned.

Ash wiped the tears out of his eyes nervously, "No…no….I'm not going _anywhere _without my Swellow!"

Ash patted Swellow's head gently. He was mortified as his body was trembling upon the sight of seeing his Pokemon near-death. May looked at Swellow desperately as she too felt petrified. Her body shook as this was the first time she had seen a Pokemon like this. She felt as if someone took a knife and stabbed it forcefully into her stomach, the pain of seeing Ash's Pokemon like this was too great a shock.

A heavy gust of wind blew through the air which tore some burning branches down and threw them violently at the travelers. May gasped in fear as she saw a huge branch suddenly being thrown right into their direction! Ash had his back turned to the danger approaching as he was kneeling down, panting over his Swellow.

"Get down, Ash!" May cried as tried to pull Ash down to the dirt with her.

May grabbed Ash's shoulder and tried to pull him to the ground but she wasn't quick enough. The heavy branch flung toward Ash and smacked against the back of his head. The branch ending up breaking in two upon impact as Ash fell backward on the floor.

May cried frantically as she clenched her teeth. She quickly sat up and looked to see if her friend was ok.

"ASH!!!" she yelled as turned Ash's body over, "Damn!"

Ash was completely unconscious from the impact of the branch, which forcefully snapped against his head. The young trainer lie on the ground with his eyes closed, having been knocked out after the blow to the head.

"I…don't believe this…!" she exclaimed. May nervously tried shaking Ash to wake him up. She desperately flung his body back and forth but it was to no avail, he was knocked out cold.

The girl stood up and coughed heavily into her arm. The burning fire was approaching them as she felt the heat on her skin. She shook her head frantically as she knew that Ash and Swellow's life rested in her hands.

May pulled on her hair as she looked at Ash's Swellow trapped under the tree. She then quickly glanced at Ash unconscious on the ground. Suddenly, something urged May to quickly take control of the situation as she felt her fear suddenly subsiding. She knew everything was up to her.

"Dammit…!" she gasped as she reached into Ash's pant pocket. The girl coughed heavily in between words from the smoke, "Why…didn't we…think…of this…earlier?"

May grunted frantically as she pulled out a Pokeball from Ash's pocket. "This better be the one!" she exclaimed as she pointed the Pokeball at the Pokemon, "Swellow return!"

A beam of red light shot out from the Pokeball and made contact with Swellow's body. To May's delight, the beam quickly retracted Swellow back into it's Pokeball. She was ecstatic that she had picked the right Pokeball, but the girl was distressed that neither she nor Ash thought of that before. Now she was in an even worse predicament than before with an unconscious Ash laying beside her as the forest continued going up in smoke.

May quickly put the Pokeball back into Ash's pocket as she struggled to lift him up. Ash weighed quite a few more pounds than her, but May was able to lean the boys' body against her as she put his right arm over her head. She gripped onto Ash's right arm with her right hand and his sweatshirt by his stomach with her left in order to pull him along with her.

The girl desperately tried walking with him but his weight prevented her from getting anywhere fast. Another tree branch had fallen right in front of her, but she continued to press onward. The girl knew she couldn't give up, she had to get both herself and Ash into safety.

She continued to pull an unconscious Ash alongside her as an idea popped into her head. Perhaps it was an act of desperation, but May quickly reached into her fanny pack and threw out two Pokeballs.

The quick flashes of light formed into her Combusken and Squirtle. The two Pokemon looked around where they were and gasped in fear. May then reached into Ash's pants pocket and desperately tried to pull out more of his Pokeballs. She gripped two Pokeballs out of his pocket, and while she didn't know which Pokemon she took out, she let out the two Pokemon which it contained.

Out flashed Ash's Sceptile and his Corphish. Four Pokemon now stood before May and Ash, as all of them were completely unaware of what was going on. They nervously looked at May.

"Guys!" May yelled frantically, "Ash is unconscious and this whole forest is in flames! I need you to help us get out of here alive!"

May started panting as she gripped onto Ash even tighter, trying to move him along the ground, "Corphish…Squirtle…I need you guys to clear me a path with your water attacks!"

"Corphish…cor!" Corphish quickly walked over to May as Squirtle followed.

A burning flame flickered in front of them as the path was blocked by burning branches. Squirtle and Corphish knew immediately what they had to do. The two stood next to each other and shot out water attacks to douse the flames in front of them.

"Squirtle!"

"Corrrrrrrrppheeeeeeeeeesh!"

The two water types had shot out Water Gun and Bubblebeam respectively, which managed to douse the fire blocking their path. Unfortunately, this was the least of their problems, as the fire still engulfed them from opposing sides.

The wind blew May's hair as she closed one eye and looked back at Sceptile and Combusken, "Pay attention…ggh! I need you two to knock aside any trees in front of me! Clear us a path! We gotta keep moving or we're as good as dead!"

"Sceptile!" the grass lizard roared as it quickly leaped in front of May readying its Leaf Blade attack.

"Buuuuuuusken!" Combusken somersaulted in the air as it pulled back its arm, ready to use Sky Uppercut.

Sceptile and Combusken launched their attacks at a huge burning tree which blocked the path in front of them. Sceptile's arm formed into a neon glowing blade as he slashed the tree from the side. Combusken launched its fist into a series of uppercuts which pounded away at the core of the tree. The tree started wobbling as it's foundation was weak…but it was starting to tip over _toward _May and Ash!

"The tree is going to hit us! Gah!" May cried in fear struggling to hold Ash up.

The two Pokemon then desperately ricochet themselves off of opposing trees to body slam the falling tree and knock it to the side. Their force had successfully knocked the tree to the right as it slammed into the ground.

"Sceptile, Combusken I owe you two one!" May was elated.

Corphish and Squirtle started coughing heavily as they breathed in a lot of the heavy black smoke around them.

"Cooooorr," Corphish panted as it quickly ran over to May and Ash. Corphish tugged its pincer on May's skirt to get her attention. The girl looked down at the lobster as she spit another round of saliva out of her mouth.

"Ughhhh, I need…you guys to bear with me…I know it's hard to breathe…!" May coughed as she carried Ash beside her. The boy was wobbling off her shoulders as she held him around tighter. "Corphish and Squirtle, I need you two to constantly fire water attacks in every direction….Sceptile and Combusken, I need you to clear a path for me! Knock down any trees ahead of us!"

The four Pokemon quickly sprang into action. Sceptile and Combusken brought up the lead as the two started knocking aside trees so May could continue walking in a straight path. May held Ash around the waist and chest tightly as she walked in the middle, desperately trying to get out of the forest alive. Corphish and Squirtle brought up the rear as the two stood closely behind May and fired Bubblebeam and Water gun in all directions, trying to douse some of the raging fire. This cycle constantly repeated itself for a good four minutes, as the group desperately continued to march forward…hoping by some chance that the forest would end and they'd get back on the open road.

"Scep!" Sceptile gasped as it slashed another round of fallen branches out of the way.

May tried to breathe but the air was just too thick with smoke, the girl was feeling absent-minded as she nearly tipped over with Ash in her arms. She struggled to open her eyes as she had no idea if she was any closer to safety than before.

Suddenly, Combusken stopped in its tracks. "Combusken! Busken!" the Pokemon shouted happily.

May and the other Pokemon looked toward Combusken to see what it was saying. The girl smiled happily as she saw the forest coming to an end! The dirt road stood a few feet before her, and while she wasn't completely out of danger, it was at least safer from struggling through a burning forest with thick foliage.

"Thank god…" May gasped as she pulled the unconscious boy alongside her.

Corphish and Squirtle gave May a little help, as the two of them started pushing Ash forward so she didn't have to struggle pulling his weight by herself. Sceptile and Combusken leaped toward May as they started pulling her by her arms to get her out of the grassy area. With the support of the four Pokemon, May was able to walk faster and didn't have to hold onto Ash all by herself. Sceptile held the right side of its trainer in order to limit the load on May's shoulders.

"We're…..we're almost there…" May grinned as she saw the dirt road in front of her, "I can't believe it."

May finally stepped out of the woods and onto a clog of dirt….she was finally out of the burning forest…but not completely safe.

May gasped as she fell to her knees on the dirt ground.

"Squirt!" Squirtle said worryingly as it pressed itself against her shoulders.

"Squirtle…" May muttered as she took another deep breath and spit yet another huge clot of saliva out of her mouth. She was desperately trying to clear her throat of the heavy smoke she just inhaled.

May's grip on Ash weakened as the boy fell out of her arms and down on the dirt road. The boy lay on his side with his eyes shut as May stared at him desperately.

"Sceptile!" Sceptile tried waking Ash up by rubbing his shoulders.

May sat on her knees as she continued to spit along the ground. Suddenly, a new fear washed over her. What if Ash received a concussion upon being hit forcefully by that tree branch? May shook her head nervously as she struggled to get a grip on herself, but there was too much to worry about. What if Ash was unconscious due to the lack of clean air? And what about his Swellow? Was it still alive inside its Pokeball?

"DAMN!" May shouted as she stood up again. She looked to the left of her as most of the forest was covered in an orange hue. It was still hard to breathe, but not as bad as it was inside the forest which was completely engulfed in flames.

She bent down and gripped onto Ash's arms once more. She pulled the boy by his arms toward her until she saw his face. An uneasy feeling washed over her as she stared into the unconscious boys' face. The fire flickered behind her as the young girl rested Ash against her arms.

"I…gotta make sure…." May panted as a tear fell down her right cheek, "I…..gotta make sure that we live through this…."

She stood up once more as she pulled Ash's arm over the back of her neck. She held onto Ash's hand with her left hand for support, as she leaned the rest of his body against the right side of her own and gripped his side with her right hand. She looked ahead of her as she saw the dirt road leading to a small river ahead of them. It didn't look like the best of choices, but it was the only way she could go.

"Guys…follow me…" May said to the Pokemon as she started to walk while pulling Ash alongside her.

Sceptile and Combusken gave extra support to May, as they gripped onto Ash's side to help pull him along. Corphish pushed on May's behind with it's pincers in order to make her walk a quicker pace. Squirtle also pushed against Corphish to help boost their speed.

"Thanks…guys…" May grinned. She was relieved by all the help the Pokemon were giving her.

She approached a hill as she started to slowly walk down with Ash in her arms. Unfortunately, Corphish and Squirtle were pushing on her a little too hard when she was trying to walk steady which made her lose her balance!

"CRAP!" May screamed.

She started tumbling over the hill while clinging to Ash's body. The two of them were rolling against one another as they continued to roll down the hill. Shocked, Sceptile and Combusken quickly ran down the hill to catch up.

"Cor…phish!" Corphish slapped Squirtle on the head with its pincer as a way of saying, "You idiot! Why'd you push her so hard?!"

"…Squirtle…squirt?!" Squirtle shook his head nervously.

Corphish sighed and hopped down the hill. A disheartened Squirtle slid down the hill on its shell.

May and Ash tumbled off the hill and slammed onto the grass ahead of them. Ash fell on the grass a few feet before her as May lay face first in the dirt.

"GAH!" May got up quickly as she wiped the dirt off her face. She quickly crawled over to Ash and turned his body over. He was still unconscious. "Ash…"

The four Pokemon stood around May feeling disgruntled and hopeless. May pressed her hands along Ash's face as she gently stroke his cheek.

"I'm….trying Ash," May said impetuously, "I'm…doing the best I…can…"

Did it all seem hopeless? Was there anything she could do?

May sniffed as she let go of his face. Her tears fell gently onto Ash's face, as they slid down his cheek and onto his mouth.

Suddenly, she heard a voice calling from the other end of the field.

"Hey! What's going on over there!?" a female voice called out.

May frantically looked to her right, she was desperate for help from another person. Suddenly, a Nurse Joy ran from the other end of the field and came up to May.

"Nurse Joy…thank god it's you!" May cried.

"What happened to that boy? Is he unconscious?" she asked nervously.

Joy then quickly glanced up the hill as she noticed the trees engulfed in flames.

"Oh…my," Joy gasped.

May blurted out everything quickly, "We came from that forest…the fire spread along the whole thing!" she said, as she pulled Ash's body up as she rested his head in her lap, "My friend hit his head when a tree branch smacked right into him by the wind! I…I don't know how bad it is….and then there's his Swellow…its body was crushed…it!"

"Dear god. This is serious," Joy pulled out a cell phone from her pocket.

"What…what are you doing?" May asked desperately.

"Calling for help from the Pokemon center…and the fire department," Joy said as she brought the phone to her ear. She looked nervously at the burning forest just above the hill. "Don't worry, I'll be able to help you two soon enough."

"Busken!" Combusken tapped its hand on May's shoulder in order to comfort her.

May had succeeded in escaping the burning forest alive with an unconscious boy beside her. The girl was slightly relieved as she brushed Ash's hair aside and took off his hat. His head was laying on her lap as he had dirt patches all over his face.

"Ash…" May cradled his body in her arms, "Don't you dare die on me!"

Joy was busy talking away on the phone asking for help. Everything she said was a blur to May, as she was focused on making sure Ash was still breathing. She pressed her hands against his chest and felt his pulse...and to her delight he was breathing!

Tears of relief formed in her eyes as she held Ash in her lap contently. "Looks like we're going to make it through this one after all," she said gratefully.


	14. There's one of these in every love story

**Chapter 14  
****  
****"There's one of these in every love story, isn't there?"  
**  
May sat on the couch in the Pokemon Center twisting the bottom of her skirt nervously. The girl stared down at the floor preparing for the worst. Various thoughts raced through her mind, as the girl was quickly trying to comprehend everything that happened. She looked up at the white tiled wall in front of her as she waited for Nurse Joy to return and give her the news.

The Pokemon Center was fairly empty, with only a few people and Pokemon walking about. May sat by herself on the couch for a good 20 minutes, as when they entered the Pokemon Center she had to be pulled away by the Nurses as they took Ash and Swellow in. Even though the Pokemon Center primarily focused on Pokemon injuries, this one also treated humans as well. After all, the nearest hospital was over 20 miles away, and Nurse Joy felt that Ash should be treated in the Pokemon Center along with his Pokemon.

May couldn't sit any longer. She got up from her seat and started walking the halls. She looked up at the overhead TV monitors that were hanging from the ceiling. The news was playing which showed several firefighting teams working feverishly to put out the forest fire that May had narrowly escaped from. She watched as the reporter explained the situation on the news.

"The small forest right next to a secluded Pokemon lab had just recently went up in flames," The young, blonde haired female reporter detailed. The camera on the TV then panned to various firefighters and water Pokemon struggling to put out the flames. "As you can see here, rescue teams have the fire under control, thanks to the efforts of many brave men and women as well as the firefighting Pokemon team. The cause of the forest fire is still unknown however, but it was likely started by a rampaging fire Pokemon who scorched a couple of trees by accident."

"That's good," May said to herself, "At least they went to put out the fire in the forest quickly. Good thing it didn't spread all the way to where the Professor's lab was."

The reporter continued on the television monitor, "Most wild Pokemon in the forest have been rescued by the firefighting team, and as of now there are no casualties from the disaster. We have had reports of a young girl and boy being caught in the middle of this fire, with the boy receiving minor injuries according to the Pokemon center, but other than that it seems like no other injuries have been reported."

"Those jerks," May said angrily, "They didn't even bother to mention Ash's Swellow."

May stomped the floor as she sat back down on the couch. "Poor Swellow, May sniffed, "It didn't look so good. That tree really pinned it down to the floor…I…hope Nurse Joy will be able to help it. It…looked like it was bleeding heavily…"

May opened her fanny pack as she took out a tissue and wiped her eyes. "At least Ash's injury wasn't that serious…at least according to what Joy told me."

~*~*~*

Just a few miles southwest of the Pokemon Center, in a port on the mainland, Jessie, James and Meowth were walking along the sandy beach.

"What time did they say the ferry was leaving the harbor again Meowth?" Jessie asked.

"Eh…I t'ink it was 8 O'clock. We still have lotsa time to kill," Meowth replied.

James kicked up some sand with his boots, "You two saw the news didn't you?"

"Yeah, looks like that Tyranitar really scorched the whole forest," Jessie murmured as she placed its Pokeball in her pocket.

"At least the fire department was able to get there quickly and to put out the fire. I wonder who called them in the first place," James pondered, "I'm glad that nobody really got hurt however."

"James you sound like a marshmallow," Jessie sneered, "We're Team Rocket, remember? Now of course we didn't mean for the forest to go up in smoke, but if it happened, what's the big deal? So some wild Pokemon lost their homes, tough luck."

"I 'tink that reporter lady woman said some kid was injured or something," Meowth looked up at Jessie.

"I dunno, Jess, I'm feeling kind of guilty about it," James said, a bit depressed.

"Eh, it's not really our fault anyway. It was all the work of that crazed Tyranitar. It should have obeyed us when we asked it to, not fire Hyper Beams at us," Jessie said, putting her hands on her hips.

Team Rocket walked along the sandy beach as they sat along an outdoor table. The white plastic table had an umbrella attached to the middle of it which kept the suns rays blocked. The three of them sat on the plastic benches as they looked down toward the ocean. Several people in bathing suits were running alongside the beach, some of them standing on surfboards as Pokemon pulled them along by rope in the ocean.

"Boy that looks like fun," Jessie said, resting her face against her hand on the table.

"I sure wouldn't mind getting my fur wet. Besides, the ferry won't be here for awhile," Meowth said.

"Meh, I'd rather just relax. I'm a little uneasy after that Tyranitar incident," James said, leaning back on the plastic bench.

~*~*~*~

Back in the Pokemon center, May continued to pace the floors. She crossed her arms over her chest as she patted her arms softly. She looked toward the doorway of the operating room as Nurse Joy suddenly walked out.

"Joy!" May exclaimed.

"Oh, May, is it?" Joy asked.

"Yeah that's me, my friend...how is he…?"

"He's awake, in fact he just came to about a minute ago," Joy said.

"Really? Can…can I go see him?" May clasped her hands a bit more upbeat.

"He's still a little groggy," Joy said, "The branch did hit his head pretty hard which caused him to faint. On the bright side he doesn't need any stitches, but we have placed a bandage over the back of his head to stop the bleeding."

"What…what about Swellow?" May asked.

Joy's expression became a bit solemn. She folded her hands in front of her as she looked at the ground. "Swellow is in critical condition, and at the moment we're doing everything we can to save it's life. It lost a lot of blood."

"I…" May gasped in fear.

"It has a lot of fractured bones and a fractured wing. We have it in intensive care, but I'm afraid we can't give you anymore news just yet. The doctors are still working with it," Joy said softly.

"But…" May said as small tears formed in her eyes.

"Go see your friend," Joy said as she placed a hand on May's shoulder, "That will ease the pain, and he wants to see you too."

"He does?" May asked.

"Yes, in fact, your name was the second word the boy said after he mentioned his Swellow. He wanted to know where you were and if you were safe," Joy replied.

"Yeah, he didn't know if we even got out of the burning forest or not…he's probably worried about me," May said, wiping away her tears.

"Go see him, he's in the second room to your right," Joy said as she stepped out of the way.

"Thanks," May said as she started walking down the hall.

She walked over to the second room on the right as she saw that the door was open. She saw Ash sitting upright in his bed. His legs were under the covers as he only had his black T-shirt on as well as his sweatpants. The rest of his clothes were on the table on the side. He had a small white bandage on his forehead right below his hairline, which wrapped around the back of his hair where the impact of the branches must have hit. Ash saw May as soon as she stepped in the doorway.

"May! You're alright!" Ash exclaimed happily.

"Heh, I was about to say the same exact thing to you," May smiled contently as she walked next to his bed.

"Joy told me that you were waiting here in the Pokemon center. May…how…how did we get out of that forest? What happened?" Ash asked as he lifted his head toward her.

May was quite happy to see that Ash was alright. She sat on the side of Ash's bed as her legs hung off the end. She turned toward him and held his hand.

"I'm…I'm just happy to see that you didn't get hurt too badly," May smiled as she closed her grip on his left hand.

Ash was quite surprised that May was acting so comfortable around him, especially after the near-death experience they encountered. The boy felt content when she held his hand while she sat on the side his bed. He was happy to have a friend like her that cared so much.

"The doctor said I was knocked out when a tree branch hit me by surprise…I bled a little but luckily it wasn't anything too serious. The bandage should stop the bleeding," Ash said as he pointed to the bandage along his forehead with his right hand.

"Heehee. Didn't I tell you that you have a thick head, Ash? I guess that came in handy," May giggled.

"Wow, May," Ash chuckled as they continued to hold hands, "I get knocked out by a blow to the head and you're already cracking jokes on me."

"Heh, sorry, Ash. It's just that I'm happy that I was able to save your life." May said.

"You…got me out of there all by yourself? How'd you do it?" a surprised Ash asked.

"I had to pick you up and lean you against my body. I struggled to pull you alongside me as I tried to quickly get you out of the forest. It wasn't just me though, Sceptile, Combusken, Corphish and Squirtle helped too. We managed to clear a path, and I promised myself that I wouldn't let you go. I had to make sure that we would get out alive."

"I guess I really owe you my life then, don't I?" Ash asked as he looked down at his sheets, "I don't know what to say…really."

"It doesn't matter. I know you would have done the same for me. In fact, you already have saved my life on a few occasions in the past. Remember how you came to my rescue as I was dangling off a cliff while clutching my Torchic?"

"Yeah…I remember."

"It doesn't matter who saves who, all that matters is we're alive," May brushed her hair aside as it cascaded down the sides of her face. "I was lucky enough for a Nurse Joy to be in the area once we came down a hill. She was doing some fieldwork when she spotted us, I guess that was our lucky break. She called the Pokemon Center and the fire department. That's when an ambulance drove to where we were and brought us both back to the Pokemon Center. When we were in the ambulance, Joy tested our oxygen since we both breathed in a lot of smoke. She tested our Pokemon as well, and thankfully we were all breathing fine. I guess we were lucky that we were able to get out of there so quickly especially with the heavy smoke…I could have fainted."

"Yeah, and then we wouldn't be sitting here right now would we?" Ash asked.

"Guess not," May replied.

Ash noticed that she was rubbing the back of his hand while holding it. May leaned closer to him as she stretched out her body so she could lean on her elbow.

Ash beamed, "You're holding my hand the same way you did when I was a baby."

"I am?" May said a bit startled as she looked down to see their hands holding, "Jeez, I didn't even realize that. I guess…old habits die hard, huh? Eh…I think I'll always remember the infant side of you."

Ash let go of May's hand as he leaned toward her. May noticed he had a serious expression on, as his eyebrows lowered and his face looked stern. His mood looked like it completely changed, as the boy was about to ask her something serious.

"Do you know what happened to my Swellow?" Ash asked in a low voice.

"You mean Joy didn't tell you anything?" May asked a bit surprised.

"No," Ash said sadly, "I asked her if my Swellow was in the Pokemon Center, if it got out from under that tree…"

"I put it back in its Pokeball Ash…that was the only way I could get it out from under there," May said softly.

"…yeah…and Joy said it was in the Pokemon Center, so I was a bit relieved. She didn't say anything else though…is my Swellow ok?"

May opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She turned her face away as she struggled to come up with the right words.

"May…?" Ash asked as he nervously pulled her face back toward him.

Ash's hand held her face as he wanted May to tell him exactly how his Swellow was. He was desperate for an answer. May's face was somber as she took his hand off her cheek. She then calmly began to explain exactly what Nurse Joy told her about Swellow.

Outside the small room where the two sat, Nurse Joy overheard the conversation. She then heard Ash quickly jump off his bed once May finished explaining.

"SWELLOW!" Ash yelled as he ran out of the room.

"Ash, wait!" May called out.

Nurse Joy was startled as Ash ran right up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders and started rattling her.

"Joy! MY Swellow…it's going to be ok right? Right? It's going to live…..tell me!" Ash asked as he shook Joy's body, "Answer me! My Swellow isn't that badly injured is it…?

"Get a hold of yourself!" Joy said as she pulled Ash's hands off her shoulders and pushed him gently to the side, "I know you're upset but you have to be calm!"

"Ash, calm down!" May yelled as she pulled his ar,. "Joy said they're doing everything they can!"

"But it's my Swellow, May!" Ash cried, "I gotta know how it is…I GOTTA go see it!"

"You should be resting in your bed, young man," Joy instructed, "You did get hurt you know."

Ash took a deep breath and looked at May. She let go of his arm as he started to calm down. The shock of what she told him about his Pokemon was too great a pain, as his Pokemon meant a great deal to him.

"Please Joy…I just want to see what my Swellow looks like. May told me that you said its bones were fractured…does that mean?" Ash trailed off as he broke into tears.

Joy frowned as she could feel the boys' pain. Seeing a grown teenage boy starting to burst into tears was quite a rare sight as he started to frantically wipe his eyes.

"We're doing all we can," Joy reiterated, "Right now your Swellow is alive, and we're doing our best to save it. We won't be able to give you full results until the doctors are finished."

May was a bit hesitant as she wanted to calm Ash down but didn't quite know how. She gripped his arm hoping that she could comfort him. She held his hand once more and started rubbing the back of his hand again. He allowed her to hold his hand but the boy was still incredibly upset.

Joy motioned for May to take Ash back into his room to rest, which is exactly what she did. She pulled Ash's hand as she brought him back into the room. He staggered as she guided him by pulling on his hand slowly. Joy closed the door of the room, shook her head, and walked away.

Ash walked over to the sink in his room as he stared at himself in the mirror. He trembled a bit as his arms shook while he held the sink. May watched a few feet away as she took her fanny pack off her waist and rested it on top of Ash's clothes. She then sat on the side of Ash's bed and folded her hands in her lap.

"Damn…I can't believe this is really happening," he sobbed.

May sat silently. She started twisting her skirt nervously just as she did when she was sitting in the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

"Why…why didn't Joy just let me see him? Why…couldn't she just let me see my Swellow? I…just wanted to make sure it was…" Ash turned away from the mirror.

May looked up, "It's the fear of not knowing what it looks like, isn't it?"

Ash walked a bit clumsily back to the bed as he accidentally knocked over the table where his clothes and May's fanny pack sat. The sound of the plastic table hitting the floor rattled the two of them. One of May's Pokeball's rolled out from her fanny pack.

May got up from the bed and walked over to where the table fell. Ash quickly noticed one of her Pokeball's rolling away and picked it up. He stared at the Pokeball in his hand a bit reluctantly for a few seconds.

"May…you didn't see what it looked like after you put it in the ball, did you?" he asked.

"No, I didn't. I kept Swellow in its ball and handed it over to Joy. I didn't even get to see them send it out as they went straight to the operating room with the Pokeball," she said as she picked up the plastic table.

May bent down and picked up Ash's gloves, sweatshirt, and hat from the floor and placed them back on the table. Ash continued to look at May's Pokeball in his hand

She then picked up her fanny pack and moved the front strap aside. She walked up to him and held open the pocket where she keeps her Pokeballs. "Ash?" she asked.

Ash looked at the Pokeball one more time and glanced up at May, "Without its Pokeball, Swellow probably would have died there."

The sound of the "d" word made May feel uneasy. "It's…not…going to die Ash," she whimpered.

Ash sighed and dropped the Pokeball into May's fanny pack. The girl hesitated for a few seconds and then turned and placed her fanny pack back on top of Ash's clothes. Half the fanny pack hung off the table however, as May didn't seem to notice it was on the edge.

"Can I say one thing, May?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" she said.

"You saved my Swellow…thanks. I…I didn't even think about its Pokeball at the time. All I kept thinking about was getting that damn tree off my poor Swellow. But…you came up with an idea to save it and it worked. I wish I could have been as smart as you. I think that's something that I won't ever be able to repay you for."

May smiled as Ash walked back toward the mirror above the sink. Her uneasiness about Swellow's condition was beginning to fade, she now had positive thoughts about it recovering. She knew it had to survive, because its trainer needed it very much. She walked around and sat down on the edge of his bed once again.

"I…still don't know why that happened though," Ash muttered, "I still don't know how Swellow got slammed to the ground by that tree in the first place."

"The fire probably weakened the tree I guess…Swellow was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," May stammered.

"But…there's still something that doesn't add up," Ash said as he walked away from the mirror, wiping away the last of his tears, "The tree that fell on Swellow wasn't even in flames. Something…else had to knock it down."

"We didn't see anyone else in that forest though…" May said softly.

Ash walked over toward his bed and sat down next to her. He stared at the floor trying to make sense of the situation.

"We heard a roar though, didn't we?" he asked as he turned to her, "We heard a loud Pokemon roar while we were running through the forest."

"Do you think that Pokemon had anything do with this? Maybe…there was some other attack that knocked the tree off it's roots," May pondered.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. That forest didn't go up on fire all by itself. And the fact that we started to smell smoke right after we heard those roars probably means that a certain Pokemon was the cause of all that destruction…." he trailed off.

"…and what badly injured my Swellow."

"Ash…" May motioned, "We may never find out for sure though. I'm…I'm positive your Swellow will pull through. It's a real headstrong Pokemon, it won't let itself go down this way…"

"You think so?"

"Yeah. And with the Pokemon Center's medical techniques I'm sure they can help it. Pokemon injuries seem to get healed much more easily than human injuries, don't they?" May comforted him.

The two now sat facing each other on the side of the bed. May's leg was leaning against Ash's thigh, and neither one of them turned away during the conversation. They both continued to look only at each others' eyes while discussing the serious situation at hand.

"You're right. Humans don't get so lucky, last time I checked there's no such thing as a "Super potion" for human beings," Ash smiled, which was for the first time since May saw him in the Pokemon Center.

"You're smiling, Ash," May said happily.

"Eh? I know…I…guess what you said made me realize that my Swellow won't give up…he'll recover. At least I hope so," he said.

"Don't be silly," May leaned toward him as she placed her hands on his thigh, "My parents always told me that no matter how hard things get, no matter how painful things may seem, they'll always be a silver lining in the end."

Ash stared into May's sapphire eyes as her face was a few inches away from his. For some reason, the same feelings that he felt as an infant toward her were resurfacing. The feelings of how he admired her as a baby were knocking through Ash's mind one after the other. New feelings of admiring her for being a heroine and saving both his and Swellow's life struck him as well. He felt indebted to her, as if there was something that connected him to her that he didn't feel with anyone else. He couldn't quite make sense of his feelings but the boy wanted to return his affection somehow. He placed his hands on May's arms while she continued to press down on his legs.

"May?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Ash?"

The two of them noticed that they were in a lot more physical contact than they usually were. The chain of events that turned both turned into infants, the motherly May who cared for infant Ash, and the protectiveness and saving of lives in the forest, made the two of them no longer had any hesitation about touching each other. The same feelings they had toward each other during the infant days were becoming apparent for both of them.

A few moments went by as the two of them continued to stare at each other. For some reason, both of them forgot what they were going to say. Instead, as May leaned against his thighs with her hands while Ash gripped her two arms, the two were almost in a hypnotic trance while staring at one another. It seemed as though neither one knew quite what to do next, yet neither one wanted to break the trance either. Suddenly, May's fanny pack slipped off the table and fell to the floor yet again.

Ash and May reacted by letting go of one another by the loud sound.

"Hehe, looks like my bag fell again," May said nervously as she got up from the bed and picked her fanny pack up from the floor. She then placed it on top of Ash's sweatshirt on the table, this time making sure that it wasn't hanging off the edge. She realized something as she placed her bag down about their Pokemon in the forest. "Our Pokemon made quite a _team _back there, Ash," she said.

"Oh damn!" Ash suddenly shouted as he slapped his forehead.

"What?! What's wrong now?" May suddenly panicked.

"We forgot about _Team _Rocket!" he exclaimed.

"Oh! Jeez, after what happened I almost forgot that we're supposed to be looking for them," May said, dumbfounded.

"Ugh. The Professor is counting on us to get back his ray gun and Tyranitar. They could be anywhere by now…" Ash said as he slapped his legs.

May peered out the small opened window in the room. She looked out at the scenery of the beach and ocean that was right next to the Pokemon Center. "Don't forget, at least we know they can't leave the mainland until that ferry comes. There's nothing but a sandy beach and ocean out there, no way can Team Rocket get across especially without their balloon."

Ash pressed on the bandage which was over his forehead and against the back of his hair. The boy grunted as his head still hurt him from the impact. He was still feeling a bit woozy, even though he tried to hide his discomfort while talking with his friend.

"May," Ash said as he stood up from the bed in a stern voice, "I'm going to have to tell you to go out there and see if you can find Team Rocket.

"What?" May said a bit disgruntled, "Are you kidding me, Ash? I'm not going anywhere without you and Swellow."

"You have to, the Professor is counting on us, remember? I'm not going to leave the Pokemon Center until I know that my Swellow will be alright. That and I still don't feel that well myself, the dizziness is setting back in…ugh."

"But…I don't want to leave you here all by yourself, Ash…you just said yourself that you're feeling a bit dizzy," May panted as she clasped her hands.

"I'll be fine, besides we only have a few hours to find Team Rocket. And you're the only person who can go search for them. Either that or we call up the Professor and ask Brock to come help us," Ash said as picked up the phone on the table next to him.

"No!" May shouted as she pressed Ash's hand which held the phone back down against the table, "I don't want to leave my little brother all alone with the Professor! Brock needs to stay there and watch him."

May firmly placed her hand against Ash's, not allowing him to pick up the phone. "But we need the help, May. Besides, why can't the Professor look after Max? Do you not trust him or something?"

"No…it's not that," May said as she let go of Ash's hand, "I trust the Professor…well kinda anyway. But it's the fact that he's my _little _brother, Ash. And he's not even my little brother anymore either, he's my _baby _brother now. I…I trust Brock to take care of Max as an infant more than anybody else…" she trailed off.

"…just like he did such a good job taking care of us as infants," Ash finished for her as he remembered how Brock used to play and tickle them.

Ash knew exactly what May meant. Max was indeed a baby, and Brock was their best friend who they trusted dearly and knew they could count on. The moments Ash and May shared together as infants weren't the only things they remembered, but they also recalled how Brock felt like a big brother to them when he was taking care of both of them. They remembered how he tickled and cared for them, and made sure they didn't get into any trouble. The fond memories of Brock playing with them were also retained in Ash and May's mind. Ash also realized how much Max's safety meant to her, especially since she was upset with herself that she was unable to protect her brother from harm when Team Rocket broke into the lab.

"Ok, I won't call the lab," Ash said agreeably as he let go of the phone.

"Thanks, Ash. I promised Max that I'd help turn him back to normal, and I'm not going to let him down either. It's just that…you…"

"Yea?"

May took a deep breath as she hesitated to say her next line. "….you… _need _me here Ash."

Ash looked at her reluctantly.

"I don't want to leave your side again, especially since you got knocked out in the forest just an hour ago. I don't want to leave either you or Swellow until you're both back to 100%. I helped get you two out of the burning forest…I want to make sure that I'm with you all the way and see you well again," May said in a low voice.

Ash stood up and walked toward her. "You're a good friend, May. One of the best I have."

May sniffed, "Well, Ash…I know you're always there for me when we're traveling. I…I want to make sure that I'm there for you, too."

Ash smiled and rubbed her right shoulder. May blushed slightly as she knew how strong their bond was with one another.

"Fine. We'll stay here together until we find out that my Swellow will be ok," Ash said as he smiled at her while holding her arm, "Team Rocket can run away to the ends of the Earth for all I care, but it won't matter. We're not going to let your brother down either, we'll find them no matter how far away they get."

"We've always been able to find them before, right, Ash? No matter how far away they got from us…they tend to stick out a bit too," May blushed as she moved away from Ash.

May walked to the door and placed her hand on the handle, but she then had a second thought wash over her as she let go of the doorknob.

"Can I wait here with you in this room until Nurse Joy comes to tell us about Swellow?" she asked.

"Sure. You weren't thinking about going back to the lobby, were you?"

"Well…it's just that guests aren't supposed to stay in the patients' room. I didn't know if you want to be alone for a bit either since you're still not feeling too well. I'm…I'm not bothering you am I?"

"Of course not," Ash said as he sat back down on his bed, "Just earlier I was so scared about my Swellow, not sure whether it would…make it through alive…I was ready to explode. But somehow….you've managed to comfort me so much that now I _know _my Swellow will recover.

"Heh. Joy said she'd let us see Swellow when they're done. Hopefully it won't take too much longer, I'm glad that you're acting like the Ash I know again."

May walked over and stood on the side of the bed while Ash opened the covers and slid himself in. May knew that he still needed rest, as she fluffed up the pillow again for him to rest his head on. He pulled the covers up to his torso as he rested contently.

"Swellow," Ash said softly under his breath, "I know you'll pull through, don't disappoint me."

May grinned contently as she playfully rubbed the top of Ash's head, the same way she did when he was a baby. She sat down on the edge of the bed again while Ash lie on his back under the covers.

"You're really unlike anyone I've ever met, Ash, always looking on the bright side and never giving up when things look bad. Working with your Pokemon to overcome impossible odds, you're a hero to so many people. You really are one of a kind aren't you, Ash?"

Ash snickered, "I think I could say the same about you, May. That makes us _two of a kind, _doesn't it?"


	15. A new hope

**Chapter 15  
****  
****"A new hope"  
**  
"GET OUT!"

"You said there was no charge!"

"I NEVER said that! Get the hell out of my shop!"

The middle aged shopkeeper slammed shut the door. Jessie, James and Meowth stood in front of the small store which stood along the edge of the beach where the pavement met the sand.

"There goes that idea," James said disappointingly.

"I'm going crazy! I can't stand this!" Jessie yelled, grabbing her head angrily.

Meowth looked back at the beach as people continued to surf the waves along small boogie surfboards. Water Pokemon were attached to the small surfboards by a tether, in which the trainers held onto the handle it was tied to. The water Pokemon would swim across the waves at great speeds allowing their trainers to enjoy a unique type of surfing.

"It looked like those people were just rentin' those surfboards," Meowth sighed, "I didn't think they cost anything."

"So what are we to do, then? I'm not going to stand here and watch everyone _else _have fun. This is disappointing me," Jessie sneered.

"We have no water Pokemon anyway, what would we use to pull the tether on those surfboards?" James asked.

"You're right," Jessie snapped her fingers, "That's why we'd tie _you _to the tether, James, and have you swim pulling the tether by your teeth while we stand on the surfboards. Aha!"

"Wow, leave it to you to think of a new form of human cruelty," James shuddered.

"Bah, let's get out of here until it's dark out. I don't want to witness other people having fun while I'm not apart of it," Jessie said, walking across the pavement up the grassy area.

"Where ya' going? There's nothing up that way besides the Pokemon Center," Meowth called out.

"So? At least there I can stare at the four walls in all my misery. What do you want me to do otherwise? Stare at you two?" Jessie said sarcastically.

James looked down at the ray gun he was carrying. "You know Meowth, sometimes I wonder if this thing would make Jessie a little less overbearing."

"Are you kidding, Jimmy? We'd have a crybaby Jessie 24/7! Instead of a grown woman whining on and bossing us around, we'd have a little baby whining on and bossing us around!" Meowth said.

"Good point, although I really wouldn't know which is worse," James sighed as he walked with Meowth quickly up the hill to catch up to Jessie.

~*~~~**~

Inside the Pokemon Center, Joy contently walked down the halls checking on the patients in room to room. She looked down at her clipboard to check the current patients' conditions.

"Hmmm, let's see now….Swellow," Joy checked the box next to its name, "I see. Looks like I should tell Ash and May its current condition."

Joy lowered the clipboard as she walked up to the room Ash was resting in. She knocked on the door gently so as not to intrude on them.

"Hey, it's Nurse Joy! It's about your Swellow!" she called out to the closed door.

Joy waited a few seconds but there was no response. Joy knocked again briefly, before gently turning the doorknob to see how her patient was. The door cracked open as she entered the room.

"Oh," Joy stammered as she put her hand over her mouth.

She was a bit taken back at what she saw. Ash was sleeping in his bed with his face turned to the side and his arms stretched out. May was also sleeping right next to the bed with her head folded down on top of her arms on the mattress. She was sitting on a chair that she had brought up to the edge of the bed, as her body was leaned over while her head was resting on the mattress next to Ash. Her bandana was laying on the table where Ash's clothes were as she rested her head a few inches away from Ash's.

"Aw, they're both sleeping next to one another," Joy said to herself, "I admire that girl. Not only did she save the boy's life but she's also staying next to him the entire time as he rests and recuperates. He's lucky to have such a good friend."

Joy smiled as she said out loud, "It would be a shame to wake you two. Guess I'll let you know about your Swellow another time Ash."

Suddenly, Ash grunted loudly in his sleep, "SWELLOW?!"

"Huh?" Joy turned around.

Ash suddenly sat up in his bed and looked around nervously. "Wha? Swellow?! Where?"

May started to wake up from Ash's loud comments. "Ugh…Ash?" May muttered, wiping her eyes as she lifted her head from the mattress.

"Wow," Joy said, "I didn't think I said that too loudly."

"Joy?!" a shocked Ash looked over to her, "Why…why are you in here?"

May turned around in her seat as she yawned, scratching the top of her head, "That was a short nap."

Joy chuckled as she walked toward Ash, "Looks like you heard me say something about your Swellow in your sleep. I knocked on the door to give you the news, but when I saw you were sleeping I didn't want to disturb you."

Ash and May smiled as they looked upon one another. "I didn't think we'd fall asleep so fast," May chuckled.

"May, if you needed a place to sleep we would have been happy to provide you with a cot," Joy said.

"It's alright, Joy, I just kinda fell asleep while watching my friend sleeping. It has been a hectic day for us," May said.

"Indeed, you should be tired after you got your friend out of that burning forest. It just looked like you were a bit too cramped sleeping with your head next to your friend," Joy bemused.

"I don't think May cared too much at all," Ash said, "After all this isn't the first time we've slept together."

Joy's was shocked. "What?"

May and Ash nervously looked at each other as what he said could have been taken the wrong way.

"Ash!" May gasped in embarrassment, "Joy, what he meant to say was that we sleep next to each other in our sleeping bags all the time!"

Joy breathed a sign of relief, "Oh, for a second there I thought…"

"What I meant to say is I only slept with her while I was a baby!" Ash suddenly blurted out.

"Excuse me? You mean you two have known each other since you were babies?" Joy asked, bewildered.

"Nonono!" May waved her arms, "I cared for Ash like a baby…! I mean…I cared for Ash when he _was _a baby! And uh…Ash slept in my arms…but only as a _baby! _Not err…as he is now. Eheh."

"Uh…" Joy said, nervously clicking her pen.

Ash and May blushed heavily as Joy stood before them. May nervously started to comb her hair as she didn't know what to do during the silence.

"Oh geez, forget I ever said anything to begin with. It's a long story," Ash said, shaking his head.

"He can say that again," she said. She hid her face in her hands.

"Welll…" Joy coughed into her clipboard, "That was...interesting…but I hope you kids know what you're doing at your age."

Ash didn't quite understand what Joy meant as he scratched his forehead. May groaned as she picked her face out of her hands.

"Anyway, first I have to ask you, Ash. How are you feeling?" Joy asked.

"A bit better," he replied, "Especially after err…sleeping. My head still aches a bit and I feel groggy but it's not as bad as it was before."

"That's good, at this rate you'll probably be able to leave the Pokemon Center after another day of rest. Now…" Joy said.

"Swellow," Ash said in a serious tone, "Joy, you said you came to tell me about it."

"That's right," Joy said, looking at the two trainers.

"It's OK, right?" May asked quickly, "It's...aliv-"

"Yes," Joy answered, "Swellow is alive but - "

"It is?" Ash shouted with joy, "YEEEES!"

Ash threw his arms out in the air squealing while sitting upright in his bed. May smiled and laughed emotionally as she too was elated by the news.

"I told you Swellow would make it," May said jovially to her friend.

"Ha! Right!" Ash cracked a smile, laughing.

Joy interrupted their laughter as she continued where she left off, "But I'm afraid that it's going to have to stay with us for another few weeks."

"What?" Ash and May said nervously in unison.

"I told you about this before, May," Joy said, "Swellow is in critical condition. From what the doctors could tell, most of its bones are fractured. That tree really did fall down quite hard on top of it. It lost quite a lot of blood, but we were able to stop the bleeding."

"But…will it heal?" Ash asked.

Joy could see the pain in Ash's eyes as he asked the question. She sighed as she was ready to tell the boy everything.

"There is a possibility that your Swellow will undergo some surgery. Its wings were also greatly damaged in the impact. There is a chance that your Swellow may never be able to fly again," she said solemnly.

Ash looked aghast at Joy. He could feel his throat growing dry as he didn't know how to respond. His face broadened as it looked like he couldn't handle the truth of the scenario. There was no bright, cheery reassuring response. Instead, Ash's worst fears had come true, his Swellow may never be the same again.

The boy looked down at his body as he tried to absorb the information. May was shaken as she couldn't bring her eyes up to look at Joy again.

Joy backed up slowly, "I know this may be hard for you to hear, but there is a silver lining."

Ash jerked his body as he looked back up at Joy.

"Its wings can no longer support its weight in the air. However, if you give us permission to do surgery on your Swellow, we may be able to synthetically fuse it's bones together using techniques first discovered while experimenting on Psychic Pokemon. It's a new medical technique only practiced for the past year, but we may be able to help reinforce its bones in its back and wings with the help of a strong willed Psychic Pokemon."

"How…how does it work?" Ash asked quietly.

Joy sighed, "I guess I'll use your Swellow's condition as an example. Most of its bones that were crushed under the tree are fractured. Since its wings were also in the impact, it can no longer fly either. Scientists have been using Psychic Pokemon in medical situations for the past year, and they've been quite successful I might add. After the doctors make an incision in Swellow, a Psychic Pokemon can use it's powers to supernaturally align its bones back into it's proper joints. A Pokemon as intelligent as Alakazam or Gardevoir for example, can summon their abilities from their mind to help heal other broken bones, non-fatal wounds, and fuse new synthetic bones aligned with the fractured joints."

"Aren't…they using one of their attacks or something?" May asked.

"Yes, in order to explain simply, some well-trained Psychic Pokemon have the ability to use the attack "Recover" on other injured people or Pokemon, rather than just on themselves. They use their minds to focus the attack on another being, thus help healing people and Pokemon that could have been paralyzed for life," Joy said.

"That…sounds familiar," Ash said going into deep thought. He quickly remembered the time back in the Johto region when the legendary Pokemon Celebi, used its healing powers on Misty's leg to make it heal instantaneously. Perhaps now doctors have unlocked the potential for this secret to help save lives in the medical field.

"That sounds pretty reassuring," May said emotionally, "There are Psychic Pokemon like that in this Pokemon Center, right?"

"Well no, not at the moment. But we can simply call another medical center to send one over via the Pokeball transport machine," Joy smiled, "As I said, this is a relatively new advance in the medical field. We've known about Pokemon being able to use healing attacks in battles for hundreds of years, but just now are we able to use their techniques to help heal others in far worse situations as well. But, the Psychic Pokemon has to be extremely well trained in the medical field. Only a few that have gone over years and years of training and honing its mind are able to use such powers to help others. More and more Psychic Pokemon are being trained in the medical field for this reason, but only a handful successfully master this technique. It is a bit disappointing that we don't have more, just think of the countless millions of lives that could be saved if almost all Psychic Pokemon could do this."

"Wow, who was the guy that first came up with the idea to train Psychic Pokemon to use their healing powers on others? He must be a hero," May asked.

"From what I know the guy seems to keep to himself. He's been experimenting with these type of situations for years, he's spent his whole life toiling away trying to perfect this technique. He knew that Pokemon have moves like Recover which can bring them back to full strength in battle, but then he started thinking…what if these Pokemon can use Recover on other people or Pokemon? He spent decades trying to figure this out and training Psychic Pokemon to perfect his theory with. Finally, about a decade ago he succeeded in getting a Psychic Pokemon to concentrate its powers to heal an injury on another person. Since then, he's explained his technique in the medical field to other doctors and we've just now for the past year been attempting this in various Pokemon Centers around the world," Joy continued.

"What's his name?" May asked.

"His name is Professor Latrommi, he's actually been nominated to win the Nobel Piece Prize for his accomplishments. The guy seems to be obsessed with the idea of escaping death, he wants to believe that humans can break free of our fate and live forever. He's been obsessed with the idea of immortality for a long, long time. It's probably what led him to believe that Pokemon healing powers can prolong a human lifespan," Joy said as she shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows? Maybe one day the guy will discover the key to immortality."

"Wow, that's really something. I hope I get a chance to meet him someday," May said.

Ash got impatient and wanted Joy to get back on topic about his Swellow.

"Can the trained Psychic Pokemon heal just about any injury?" Ash asked impulsively.

"No, not quite," Joy sighed, "It again depends on the skill level of the said Psychic Pokemon. Some of the best are able to heal fractured bones such as the ones in your Swellow, others can help heal small ruptures in the body and even redirect blood flow in the veins of a patient. Diseases such as heart attack, blood clots, and tumors can be prevented with these Psychic Pokemon. We're trying to use their potential to heal just about anything in the medical field, but unfortunately most aren't skilled enough to handle more than a simple stab wound."

"Thank you, Joy. If it's possible…could my Swellow be healed?" Ash asked nervously.

"Would it need any surgery if a Psychic Pokemon used Recover on it?" May added.

"I'm afraid there are drawbacks to this that I haven't said yet," Joy continued, "One is that the patients mind has to be telepathically linked to the Psychic Pokemon. The Psychic type will try to focus on the patients mind, and once their minds meet, the Psychic type can then concentrate on the situation. If the Psychic Pokemon is unable to meet telepathically with the patient, then nothing can be done."

"Oh," May gasped.

"Two, is that if the Pokemon DO meet telepathically, it leaves both the patient and the psychic Pokemon physically drained. The Psychic type may be able to make synthetic realignments in the bone structure, but the surgeons will have to finish the job. The Psychic Pokemon can only use its healing powers for so long, and it only tries to help the patient in ways that the doctors can't. After that, the surgeons then need to finish the operation manually. The patient will then by physically drained, and thus will be bed-ridden for weeks."

"That doesn't sound too bad. Is there anything else?" Ash asked, cautiously.

Joy took a deep breath, "The third and final drawback is that if the Psychic Pokemon makes a mistake, then it could unintentionally kill the patient."

"What?" a startled Ash asked.

"This is why most people are too scared to use these Psychic Pokemon to heal their loved ones. Some feel they can do more harm than good. Dealing with psychic and telepathic powers is no joke, and there is a good chance that something could go wrong as the Psychic type is trying to heal something like a blood vessel, only to make a mistake in its concentration in which the blood vessel would explode instead."

"That's horrible," May said, standing up from her chair.

"It is a big risk. Which is why it's up to you and your friend to decide," Joy said as she looked at Ash.

Ash's eyebrows lowered as he was in deep thought. May knew she couldn't make the decision for him, and had to rely on Ash to make the decision for his Swellow.

"If you decide not to use a Psychic Pokemon to heal it, your Swellow may never be able to soar the skies again, something flying types hold dearly in themselves. This is a big decision I know, which is why I'll give you two a few days to think about it. Remember, there is no guarantee that a Psychic Pokemon will be able to help it, but the possibility exists," Joy said.

Nurse Joy started walking out of the room as she looked back at Ash resting in the bed. He was still in a deep train of thought. May looked over at Joy and smiled contently as if to say, "Thanks." Joy nodded as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"Swellow," Ash murmured.

"I'll…I'll leave you be, Ash," May said, not wanting to bother him during this important decision.

She walked over to the table standing beside the bed and picked up her bandana. She quietly tied her bandana over her head and then strapped her fanny pack around her waist. She looked down at Ash once more only to see him not move from his transfixed state. She knew how important the decision was, and decided to maturely give Ash the time he needed to make his choice. She took one last glance at him before she started walking for the door.

Ash quickly looked up at her just as she was about to open the door, "Are you going to stay in the Pokemon Center? Or are you going back to the lab?"

May turned around a bit bewildered that he actually said something to her. She didn't expect him to say anything at the moment.

"No no, I'll be in the lobby," she said as she folded her hands in front of her body, "I told you, Ash, I'm not going to leave you all alone here. I'll be waiting with you here in the Pokemon Center until you're well enough to leave."

May's words filled him with confidence. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem," May gave him a thumbs up and grinned as she turned around and opened the door.

As she stood in the hallway she turned around and gently closed the door beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she started walking back toward the lobby. "Ash, this must be so hard for you," she said to herself as she continued walking down the hall.

May entered the lobby looking toward the couches and was astonished at what she saw. "I don't believe it!" she gasped.

May was stunned as she saw Jessie, James and Meowth resting on the couches in the lobby. Jessie was laying on her back while she had her arm over her face. James was slouched over eating a bag of chips. Meowth sat upright on the couch as he held the ray gun in his lap.

"What the heck are they doing here?" May asked herself in amazement, "What luck! They could have been anywhere on the beach or port but they're here in the Pokemon Center."

She noticed that James started to look in her direction. May gasped as she quickly darted behind a pillar that held up the ceiling. She pressed her back against the pillar as she peeked over the side to see if he saw her. To her relief, James was still sitting there lazily, eating from the bag of chips.

She nervously put her fingers in front of her mouth, "Maybe I should tell Ash about this. If I just walk up right in front of them then they're just going to dart out of the Pokemon Center," she said to herself, "The ray gun, I gotta get it back to help Max. Ugh, but should I even bother Ash about this when he's thinking about his Swellow?"

She opened her mouth as she saw Jessie sit upright on the couch and snatch the bag of chips away from James. She then happily plopped a handful of chips in her mouth as James cried as he wanted to finish the bag. Meowth looked up at the two and shrugged as he continued resting on the couch. May then quickly made up her mind to run back to Ash's room and tell him that Team Rocket was in the Pokemon Center.

"Damn, I don't know what to do, Swellow," Ash said to himself, "This Psychic Pokemon operating on you could kill you if it makes a mistake…I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if that happened."

Suddenly, May quickly opened the door as a stunned Ash looked up at her. He saw May nervously close the door behind her as she ran right up to him. He was confused as to why she ran back into the room so soon.

"ASH!" May exclaimed, "You're never going to believe this."

"What, what is it?!" Ash was rattled.

"It's Team Rocket. They're in the Pokemon Center!"

Ash was dumbstruck, "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" May shook her head quickly, "I didn't want to bother you but this could be our only chance to get the Professor's ray gun and Tyranitar back! We've lucked out!"

"Team Rocket," Ash said quietly, "Now's as good a time as any. Alright, I'm going to go out and get them back."

Ash started to get out of bed as May nervously ran over and pressed her hands against his chest to push him back down.

"Ash, what do you think you're doing? You're supposed to be resting remember?! I don't think you're supposed to be walking around," May said, holding down his chest.

"I know, but I'm not about to let them get away again," Ash said as he pulled May's hands off of him. He sat on the side of his bed while he felt the back of his head where the bandage covered. His head was still pounding, but he was determined to battle Team Rocket and get back what they stole.

"Does it still hurt?" May asked.

"There's a big bump on the back of my head under the bandage. I'm still feeling a bit lightheaded and I can still feel a pounding feeling. Even though Joy said I shouldn't be walking, I'm going to go and stop them," Ash said as he reached for his hat on the table.

Ash placed his hat gently over his head. He made sure not to push down on the bandage which was tied below his hairline and went over his ears along the back of his hair. He groaned a bit as he reached for his Pokeballs and slid them into his pants pockets.

Ash tried to stand up from his bed again as May purposely stood her body in front of him. He looked up as he could see the worried expression on her face.

"I…I don't want you to get yourself hurt again. But…I know you're right. Now's our best chance to get the ray gun back, I actually came to tell you because I knew I needed your help…even if you're not supposed to be out of bed," May sighed.

Ash looked up at her and smiled, "Thanks, May, but aren't we wasting a lot of time right now? What were they doing?"

"Nah, they were lounging around on the couches in the lobby. I don't think we have to worry about them getting away again," May lowered her hand toward Ash and held out her palm, "Need a lift?"

"Sure," Ash snickered as he gripped onto her hand.

May smiled as she held his hand and carefully helped pull him up from the bed. They stood before each other and were taken back as they gazed upon each other face to face. They could feel each other's breath blowing on their faces as they were both standing about an inch apart. May felt herself getting a little red as she looked into Ash's eyes.

"Ready?" she asked softly.

Ash pulled down on the brim of his hat and felt the Pokeballs in his pockets. For some reason he didn't feel like stepping away from her and going to confront Team Rocket. She was still holding onto his hand as her body was right before his, and Ash found himself unwilling to walk away from her.

"I'm…ready. I'm not going to put on my sweatshirt. We do have to come back here, you know," Ash said as he felt himself getting a bit flustered.

"You don't have trouble walking do you? We may have to do a little running," she said.

She closed her hand around his tighter. Ash didn't quite know what to say, but he blurted out a line to hide his uneasiness.

"Nah, I think I'll be fine."

"K, looks like we have to send Team Rocket blasting off again," May giggled as she let go of his hand and started walking in front of him.

Ash felt a bit disappointed that May broke their contact, as for some reason he wanted her to stand in front of him holding his hand a bit longer. He quickly shook his head to try and shake the silly feeling as he knew he had something more important to do.

May opened the door of the room and looked back at her friend, "What should we say if Joy finds out you're not in the room?"

"I'll just tell her that you talked me into roaming around the Pokemon Center," Ash winked at her as he stepped out of the room, "That way you'll be the one Joy yells at.

"Aw, that's no fair," May sneered sarcastically, closing the door.

"Jessie!" James shouted, "This people are giving us odd looks at they walk by!"

Jessie crumbled the empty bag of chips and tossed it aside on the couch. She rubbed her mouth as various people walking by in the Pokemon Center glanced over at the three.

Jessie burped, "I guess those people must know beauty when they see it. Maybe they're admiring me!"

"Yeah right," Meowth said as he examined the ray gun, "I think they're wondering what this thing is I'm holding."

"Well why in the world are you holding that gun right on your lap?! Why don't you try hiding it behind you or something?" James bellowed.

"Or you could sit on top of it," Jessie added.

"Whaddya nuts? How do we know if this t'ing won't break easily? This is our one ticket to become the top guns in Team Rocket again. The Boss will never look down upon us the same way again!" Meowth scolded.

"Well it's making us look suspicious you numbskull," James said as he grabbed the ray gun out of Meowths' hands, "What would you think if you saw people sitting in a room, holding a futuristic looking ray gun?"

Ash and May peeked over the corridor as she pointed where Team Rocket was sitting. Ash was standing against the wall looking over the side as May was behind him pointing over his shoulder.

"They're sitting on the couches right around this corner," May said as she tapped his shoulder so he would turn around to her, "What should we do? If we just run right in front of them, they'll see us and just run outside!"

"You're right, maybe we can sneak up on them?" Ash pondered, thinking carefully.

"I know, why don't you crawl behind the couch, Ash?" May suggested, "Then you could just reach over the side and pull the ray gun out of their hands!"

"Then what? Wouldn't they notice?" Ash asked.

"Well yeah…then uh…I know!" May clasped her hands, "Then I'll jump out in front of them and distract them with my Squirtle!"

"Heh maybe that could work, then I'll just crawl away behind the couches while they're too busy with you," Ash said, "Wait a second, you're forgetting about the Professor's Tyranitar."

"Oh crap," May said, lowering her head disappointingly.,"I forgot about that. Since it's in a Pokeball it could be in one of their pockets."

"Looks like someone will have to reach into James' pants pockets and pull out the Pokeball. You up for it, May?" Ash snickered.

"You're nuts Ash, I'm not sticking my hands in James' pants," May shook her head.

"I'm joking, you didn't really think I would tell you to do that, would you?" Ash laughed.

May crossed her arms gloating, "I don't know, sometimes you have crazy ideas, Ash. I don't stick my hands into other guys' pants pockets, thank you very much."

James turned to Jessie as he gave the ray gun to her, "I'm going to go to the bathroom, hold the ray gun. Alright?"

Jessie nodded as James got up from the couch and started walking down the hall. He asked one of the wandering trainers where the bathroom was, and the trainer pointed down the hall where Ash and May were standing. James thanked him as he started gleefully walking down the hall.

Ash chortled as May gazed at him with amusement. She knew he was teasing her in a playful manner, he was bantering with her a lot more than he used to.

"Well come to think of it, I did stick my hand in your pants pocket," May said, putting her finger to her cheek.

"When did you stick your hand in my pants pocket?" Ash asked curiously.

"When you were knocked out in the forest, Ash. I reached into your pocket to find Swellow's Pokeball and recall it, and also reached in there to find Sceptile and Corphish," she said.

"Oh, I see. Good thing I had my Pokeballs there."

May smiled in amusement, "Don't you think we should stop talking about reaching into pockets and just concentrate on Team Rocket?"

"Right, I…." Ash stammered as he turned around to see James right in front of him!

Ash, May and James were stunned as they looked upon each other.

"Ah! It's you two!" James gasped.

"It's James!" Ash and May shouted in unison.

"So much for a bathroom break! I can hold it in a little while longer….Jessie!" James shouted, holding his crotch as he ran back toward the couches.

"Oh great, so much for the plan," Ash slapped his forehead.

"The twerps are here!" James shouted, waving his arms at Jessie and Meowth.

"Huh?" Jessie was bewildered.

Ash and May quickly slid down the hall as they stood in battle ready positions behind James. Meowth and Jessie were shocked when they saw the two in the Pokemon Center.

"Well isn't this turning out to be a rotten day?" Jessie said sarcastically, "Let's get out of here!"

"No, stop!" Ash yelled.

Various trainers in the lobby were confused as they saw the two opposing sides shouting at one another.

Jessie, James and Meowth ran off the couch, clutching the ray gun as they pushed trainers aside and darted toward the entrance. Due to stupefied trainers blocking their way, Ash and May were unable to catch up to Team Rocket as they darted out the Pokemon Center.

"C'mon, Ash!" May said as she ran after them.

Ash followed her until he heard Nurse Joy shout his name.

"Ash! Where do you think you're going?" Nurse Joy yelled out.

Ash stuttered, "I need to take care of something, I'll be back!"

Ash turned around and ran with May toward the entrance. The electronic doors slid open as the two of them ran out of the Pokemon Center.

"But you need to rest!" Joy called out.

Team Rocket clumsily started to run up the hill behind the Pokemon Center.

"Keep running, maybe we can lose them in the forest ahead!" Jessie yelled.

"Isn't that the same forest we came out of? The one we set on flames?" James asked while running up the hill.

"Sure is! I'm sure the firefighters hosed down the place by now!" Meowth added.

Ash and May stopped next to one another as they glanced at Team Rocket running up the hill.

"Damn, that's where we came from. That hill leads back to the forest," May turned to him.

"Good. Then that's where we'll stop them," Ash raised a fist with confidence.

"This way!" Jessie said as she pointed to the right.

The three of them ran toward an open field right alongside the burned down forest. Ash and May quickly jogged up the hill in chase. May noticed that Ash started to stagger a bit as he was climbing the steep hill.

"You sure you're up for this?" she asked.

Ash nodded as they stood along the hilltop. They looked to the right and saw Team Rocket in the far distance ahead of them. They continued to run after them as they glanced at the forest to the left. The fire from earlier was completely put out, but what was left behind was a forest that was a shadow of it's former self. Trees and plants looked lifeless and dead, many trees were knocked off their roots and lay lopsided on the ground. Various branches littered the floor. The forest which was once a place teeming with life now looked dead and barren.

"The forest looks like it was totally burned down," May sighed.

Ash grunted, "I still can't believe we haven't found out what the cause of the fire was. A lot of wild Pokemon must have lost their homes."

"There they are!" May pointed ahead.

"Huh?" Ash looked ahead as Team Rocket ran themselves into a dead end.

Various fallen tree branches and logs blocked the path ahead of them. It appeared that their path was blocked by the trees that burned down from the forest.

"Now what?" James asked.

"What do you think? We'll just have to battle them!" Jessie said.

"Something tells me this won't be a good idea," Meowth sighed.

"Team Rocket!" Ash called out as he stopped a few feet in front of them, "You're giving us back the Professor's ray gun and Tyranitar, and you're doing it **now! **

"Bah!" Jessie gloated, holding the ray gun by her side, "Maybe I'll just send you two back to preschool again!"

Ash and May looked aghast as Jessie pointed the ray gun at them. She pressed the red button on the side of the ray gun as the lights started forming on the dish of the gun.

"I don't think I'm ready to wear diapers again just yet," Ash said to May.

Much to Jessie's dismay, the energy forming on the dish of the ray gun began to disappear and fade away.

"Jessie, what did you forget?!" Meowth yelled in disgust, "That old geezer said that the ray gun only has enough energy to work once a day!"

"Darn, I forgot about that," Jessie said as she lowered the gun.

"Now!" Ash said to himself as he threw out a Pokeball, "Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!"

The flash of white light formed into the sleek grass lizard Sceptile once more. Sceptile stood battle ready in front of Ash as he put a twig in his mouth. Sceptile quickly made sense of the situation and leaped toward Jessie firing tiny orange seeds in succession from its mouth.

"Gah!" Jessie gasped as the force of the attack pounded on her chest which caused her to fall backward.

The ray gun fell to the ground as Sceptile quickly picked it up and dashed back toward its trainer.

"Scep!" Sceptile said as he held up the ray gun toward Ash.

"Great job, Sceptile!" Ash said as he took the ray gun out of its hands.

Sceptile's eyes suddenly twitched as it looked upon its trainer. It then quickly hugged Ash around the waist.

"Eh…Sceptile?" Ash asked, confused.

"Sceptile! Sceptile!" Sceptile said happily as it let go of its trainer.

"Heh, looks like Sceptile is happy to see you're OK Ash! Remember, he helped me pull you out of the burning forest when you were knocked out, he didn't know that you got better!" May said.

"Heh, I'm fine Sceptile," Ash said, "Now let's stop Team Rocket like we always do."

"Sceptile!" Sceptile nodded confidently as it turned around, ready to face Team Rocket once more.

"You alright, Jess?" James asked as he lifted her up.

"That's it, that overgrown lizard is going to pay for that!" Jessie screamed in anger, "Go!"

Jessie threw a Pokeball without knowing which one it was before Sceptile. The flash of white light quickly formed into a familiar Pokemon, but much to Jessie's dismay it wasn't one of their own!

Jessie gasped in horror as she saw the Professor's Tyranitar appear in front of them. "OH my…"

"Jessie. you threw out the wrong Pokeball!" James yelled.

"That's the Professor's Tyranitar!" May exclaimed. "So Jessie was the one holding its Pokeball and not James. I guess I wouldn't mind reaching into another girl's skirt to get a Pokeball…rather than a guys' pants."

"Uh yeah," Ash shook his head.

Tyranitar roared as its screech echoed the area. Ash and May noticed that it was a familiar sounding roar that they heard somewhere before.

"Now now, nice, Tyranitar," Meowth said calmly, "Let's not have a repeat of last time."

Tyranitar turned around toward Team Rocket with an ominous expression on its face. Its eyes twitched as it towered over the trio.

"Tyranitar, you don't want to shoot Hyper Beams at us again like last time!" Jessie said nervously, "You know, you set the forest next to us in flames just a few hours ago! You burned down the entire place!"

"What?" Ash said angrily, "You mean _you're _the ones responsible for scorching the forest?"

May gasped, "I don't believe it, the Professor's Tyranitar is the one that burned down the forest and nearly got us killed…and badly injured your Swellow…"

Ash felt his eyes twitching in anger as he was grinding his teeth loudly. May was shocked as she never saw him as agitated as he looked right now. Ash looked like he was about to explode.

"You…you nearly killed my Swellow!" an enraged Ash called out.

"You mean you were the kids in the forest that the news was talking about?" James waved his hands, "It…it wasn't us! This Tyranitar got out of control and started destroying the forest on its own, it's not our fault!"

"But you were the ones who stole it! Tyranitar was just trying to get free!" May called out.

Tyranitar stepped one foot toward Team Rocket as its face beamed angrily.

"Uh…no hard feelings, right?" Jessie asked nervously.

Tyranitar roared loudly as it flung its tail around. Its burly tail smashed into Meowth's side as it knocked him and Jessie and James into the air with its tail. Jessie dropped Tyranitar's Pokeball as it fell to the ground beside it.

"GAH! That hurt!" Meowth cried in pain while flying through the air.

"Well I suppose it could have done worse, it could have chewed us alive!" James exclaimed in mid-air.

"And to make matters worse we don't have the ray gun either! I hate this!" Jessie sneered as she was flung in the sky.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF YET AGAIN……!" Team Rocket shouted.

The three of them then began to fade away in the distance. Tyranitar angrily turned back toward Ash, May and Sceptile.

"Tyranitar," May called out to it, "We're here to bring you back to the Professor, your trainer."

"TYRANITAAAAAAAR!" the Pokemon shouted as it towered over the trainers.

"Sceptile!" Sceptile stood in a defensive position in front of Ash and May. Its leaf blade attack glowed a neon green as it covered it's face.

"Tyranitar looks like it's about to attack us!" Ash shouted.

"But why?" May gasped, "We're here to help it!"

"ZZZZZARRR!" Tyranitar beamed angrily as it started readying a Hyper Beam attack in its mouth.

"It's going to fire at us!" May shouted in fear, "Why is it doing this?!"

"If Tyranitar wants a fight then it'll get one!" Ash shouted angrily, "I don't care if you are the Professor's Pokemon or not. Nobody attacks me or my friends…

…and you're going to _pay _for what you did to my Swellow!"

"Ash!" May shouted fearfully as the beam of light started to grow in Tyranitar's mouth.

"Sceptile, TAKE IT DOWN!" Ash commanded as May grabbed his shoulder in fear.

Sceptile leaped into the air readying its Leaf Blade attack, as it closed in on the towering Dark type Pokemon, ready to protect Ash and May at all costs.


	16. An unfortunate battle

**Chapter 16 ****  
**

**"An unfortunate battle"  
**  
"Sceptile!"

Sceptile leaped into an offensive position as it pulled back its arms ready to strike the mighty seven foot beast with its Leaf Blade attack. Ash furiously watched the battle, grinding his teeth while holding the Professor's ray gun in his left hand. May clutched Ash's right arm in fear as the Dark type Pokemon was aiming a Hyper Beam attack right toward them. The two trainers could feel the wind escaping them as the Tyranitar continued to draw energy for its attack.

"Tiiile!" the grass lizard screamed.

The neon colored blades under its arms slashed Tyranitar right in the abdomen. The beast staggered backwards, gasping out in pain as the attack hit its mark. Its eyes glowered as it menacingly looked at Sceptile, ready to return the pain tenfold.

"Tzzzaaaaaaaaar!" Tyranitar roared as the orange beam of light was continuing to form in its mouth.

"Sceptile, don't give it time to power up its attack! Strike it again!" Ash commanded.

Sceptile readied its arms as it leaped over Tyranitar's head and stood in an offensive position behind its back. The Dark type wasn't able to follow the grass lizards' quick movements, and was a bit disoriented when it didn't realize that Sceptile was standing behind it. The heavy wind continued to blow throughout the field which nearly blew Ash's hat off his head. Ash and May's hair was blowing harshly in the wind as the boy even found it a bit difficult to stand. May's legs twitched as she clung to his arm trying not to lose her balance.

"Now!" Ash cried while holding down on his hat.

Tyranitar barely had a chance to turn around before Sceptile struck the scales on its back with its blades. Sceptile's attack had pierced its hide as Tyranitar's eyes bulged in pain. The roar that followed wasn't a roar, but a whelp of pain.

"Sceptile's attacks seem to be doing a great deal of damage to it! Isn't Tyranitar a Rock type?" May struggled to say while pressing herself against his arm.

Ash continued to hold down his hat while holding the ray gun in the same hand. He looked down at May making sure he held her around the waist so the wind wouldn't knock her down on her back. "Yeah, Tyranitar is part Rock type. Sceptile's attacks are doing double the damage with every blow."

Tyranitar was completely enraged after being pierced by Sceptile twice. It quickly pounded the ground with its fist to send a powerful shockwave along the area. The ground trembled as Sceptile struggled to keep its balance.

"Ugh…the whole place is shaking!" May yelled.

Ash quickly gripped May around the waist and pressed her against his side. His hand gripped her lower back right above her fanny pack, while May clung with one hand around his arm and the other gripped onto his shirt over his chest. Standing during the shockwave was quite a feat in itself, as their knees began to weaken thus losing footing on the ground.

"Damnit! What does that Tyranitar think its doing? This whole fight is pointless!" Ash cried as he held May's body tightly against his own, "May, hold on!"

May closed one eye as the ground continued to shake around them. Various gusts of wind continued to weaken their stances even more as they nearly toppled over.

"Ugh…this is terrible…I don't think I can stand much longer!" May cried as she continued to hold onto his chest.

The ground clamored around them while Tyranitar wasn't phased by the tremors. It turned to Sceptile with a menacing gaze. In the split of a second, Tyranitar had given the grass type a fist right to its chest. Sceptile spit out some saliva as the pain pulsated throughout its body. Tyranitar then gripped its shoulders and violently tossed him over his head back toward its trainer.

Ash and May looked with horror as Sceptile plummeted to the ground before them. The badly beaten Pokemon coughed along the ground as if it were gasping for air. It tried picking itself up only to continue to gag from the blow to its chest.

"Sceptile!" an enraged Ash yelled, "Damn it!"

Tyranitar turned toward the three that cowered in front of it. They were standing roughly 15 feet apart, but Ash and May could make out the aggressive nature on its face. They looked aghast as Tyranitar had finally finished forming the orange ball of light in its mouth.

"It's going to fire a Hyper Beam right at us!" Ash screamed.

"TYRANITAR!" the Pokemon roared as it shot the beam out of its mouth toward the trio.

May's heart skipped a beat as she saw the attack quickly coming toward them. She noticed that Ash was completely engulfed in rage and wasn't comprehending the danger they were in.

"We have to get down!" May cried as she pulled Ash toward the ground with her.

May tugged on Ash's shirt until the two fell flat toward the ground. She fell with her back flat against the grass and pulled Ash's body on top of her. The two lay next to one another as the Hyper Beam passed over their bodies.

The powerful energy attack exploded in the background behind the trainers. May pressed Ash's body against hers as they struggled against the aftershock of the explosion. Sceptile lay on the ground near them with its hands over its head. Various debris and dead branches flung over their faces and nicked their skin as they flung by. Ash struggled to look up at their aggressor before realizing that his grip on the ray gun was loosening. His strength was quickly weakening, as the boy was still recovering from the blow to his head from a few hours before. Before he knew it, the ray gun was blown out of his hands and into the forest beside them.

"Ugh…the gun!" Ash cried, trying to reach for it as the air blew it into the bushes.

"Stay down, Ash!" May instructed as she pressed Ash's body down on top of her own, "You're going to get yourself hurt by all this debris being blown by!"

"May, let go of me quickly!" Ash gazed up as the Tyranitar started walking toward them, "It looks like it's going to ram us!"

May gasped as she let go of Ash's body. The boy quickly stood up as he pulled May's hands and brought her back up beside him. The tremors along the ground had stopped, and most of the heavy wind was halting due to Tyranitar no longer powering up its attack. Ash held May's hand as the two stood next to each other fearing the worst.

"Sceptile?" Sceptile grunted as it finally managed to stand back up again.

"Sceptile, please hang in there!" Ash gasped.

Sceptile staggered a bit as its pride was hurt. The Pokemon was more determined than ever to get back at Tyranitar for the injuries it had received. It growled ferociously as the two Pokemon stared each other down.

"Dammnit, Sceptile needs help," May said as she let go of his hand. She reached into her fanny pack and pulled out a Pokeball, "Combusken I need you!"

A flash of light formed beside Sceptile which took shape into her fighting type Pokemon, Combusken.

"May, what are you doing?" Ash asked angrily.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" May snapped, "This isn't a Pokemon battle! We could be killed!"

"Sceptile can handle this!" Ash said angrily.

"No he can't!" May scolded, "You need my help! Combusken is going to fight alongside it."

Ash felt a pounding pain on the back of his head. He reached with his hand and felt his bandages as an uneasy expression appeared on his face. Sweat dripped off his cheek as he looked at the Tyranitar ahead of him.

"I'll never forgive that Pokemon for what it did to my Swellow," Ash gnarled, "I'm going to make sure I beat it alone and avenge what happened to it!"

"Combusken?"

"Sceptile?"

The two Pokemon turned back to its trainers waiting for a command. Tyranitar slowly started marching toward the Pokemon as saliva dripped out of its mouth. Apparently Tyranitar was biding its time, it was waiting for Sceptile and Combusken to make a move before it decided what to do. Ash and May looked ahead at their Pokemon.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Ash yelled.

"Combusken, use Flamethrower!" May commanded.

"May!" Ash yelled irritably, turning to her.

Sceptile darted for Tyranitar as Combusken shot its attack toward it from a distance. The fire pressed against Tyranitar's body and ended up doing little damage. Sceptile tried attacking at close range, readying its Leaf Blade, but as soon as it got within arms reach Tyranitar smacked the Pokemon aside with its hand.

"Scep…!" Sceptile grunted as he was knocked brutally aside to the ground.

"May, I said I'll handle this!" Ash shouted, "Your Combusken is just going to end up distracting my Sceptile! I'm not going to let Tyranitar get away with shooting a Hyper Beam at us and what it did to my Swellow!"

May was infuriated. "Ash, shut up!" she blurted out, crossing her arms.

"What? What are you saying that for?" Ash asked, still enraged about Tyranitar.

In the distance, Sceptile and Combusken continued attacking Tyranitar without orders from their trainers. Their attacks and coordination were weak and unskilled as the two Pokemon could barely put a dent in its armor. Tyranitar continued to let Combusken and Sceptile get into close range before it would use its arm to smack the two to the side. While their trainers argued back and forth, their Pokemon became irritable and unfocused and ended up missing their mark with most of their attacks, only to get badly beaten by blows to the head or stomach.

"May, we don't have time for this!" Ash snapped, "Call back your Combusken! Let me take down this Tyranitar…I have to!"

"Ash, you're losing it!" May argued furiously, "This isn't about avenging your Swellow, you're taking this to an unhealthy extreme! You're lost in rage and you're not even thinking clearly!"

"I don't care!" Ash cried, "Tyranitar will pay for what he did to me and my Pokemon."

"Ash, we're going to lose if you don't calm down, listen to me!" an agitated May continued.

"No! Just be quiet and stand aside, I'm taking down Tyranitar myself. Now stop distracting me!" Ash said in a hostile tone.

May blew her cool and clenched a fist. She stepped over to Ash and swiftly pulled back her hand and slapped him across his face. Her slap echoed the field as the boy was completely shocked that she had slapped him.

Ash brought his hand to his cheek where she had struck him, "What…what was that for?" he asked uncertainly.

"To bring you back to your senses!" May said irritably. She then lowered her eye brows trying to assess the situation. Her demeanor then suddenly changed as her voice started cracking and tears started forming in her eyes.

"May…" Ash said, still rubbing his cheek in shock.

May became emotional as a few tears ran down her cheeks. She put her hands on Ash's shoulders as she tried to reason with him. "Ash, you have to realize what you were saying!" she said as she burst into tears. "You were losing your head and acting on rage...all you could think about was beating that Tyranitar at all costs that you ended up lost in your emotions! Didn't you tell me once that a good trainer never loses their cool in battle? That no matter how hard or hopeless the situation seems, that you shouldn't give in to frustration?"

May shook his body trying to explain her thoughts to him. Ash felt regrettable as he understood what she meant.

"Look at our Pokemon out there!" May exclaimed, wiping her tears. She put one hand on Ash's face to turn him to the fighting.

Combusken and Sceptile were desperately trying to damage Tyranitar to no avail, without the support and instruction from their trainers, the two Pokemon lost their focus and continually got slammed into the ground by the mighty Dark type Pokemon.

Ash watched regrettably as Tyranitar grabbed Combusken by the arm and threw it into Sceptile. The two collided and slammed violently against a tree. Tyranitar roared as Sceptile and Combusken desperately tried to stand up and continue to fight. Even without their trainers support, the two Pokemon were determined to protect them at all costs.

"See them, Ash? They're losing!" May sobbed, rattling his body, "They're losing because we're not fighting alongside them…they don't have their hearts in the battle. You were commanding your Sceptile in frustration with vengeance in mind…that's…."

A conscience-stricken Ash turned to her with a gaping mouth. He knew exactly what she meant.

"…that's not the Ash I know," she said letting go of his shoulders. She wiped her arm across her eyes.

"May," Ash said apologetically, holding her shoulder, "You're…you're right."

May sniffed as she looked into his eyes. The two glanced over at the battlefield as Tyranitar delivered a swift kick into Combusken's stomach. The fire type kneeled in pain as Tyranitar then smacked its tail into Sceptile's side and sent it to the ground. The two Pokemon continued to cry out in pain, receiving blow after blow.

"Ugh…I'm an idiot," Ash said regrettably, "I was acting without thinking and sending my Sceptile on a suicide mission. It's getting torn to pieces out there and I'm responsible for it. All…all I was thinking about was the pain I saw my Swellow in and I wanted to deliver that same pain back to Tyrantar…I…."

May smiled and reached for his cheek as she rubbed her hand where she had slapped him. She gently stroked his cheek passionately as if to say that she was sorry for slapping him as well. "Thank you, Ash, now let's battle together," she said lovingly.

"Right, thank you. I know the odds may be against us but if there's a way to win, we're going to find it." Ash smiled as he pressed her hand against his face, "Sceptile, fall back!"

Sceptile heard its trainers' voice as it struggled to get up and quickly leaped back toward its trainer.

"Combusken, regroup!" May commanded, bringing her hand back to her side, "Follow Sceptile!"

Combusken heartily obeyed its trainer as it quickly dodged a fist from Tyranitar which made contact with the ground instead.

"Guys…I'm so sorry," Ash said as Sceptile and Combusken gathered in front of him, "We need to work together and battle like we always do…and not with anger or contempt clouding my judgment."

"Scep, Sceptile," Sceptile said happily. It was a little beaten up and had several bruise marks along its body, but the grass type wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"And we're going to work with Ash and Grovyle," May said to Combusken as she patted its head, "If we work as a team we'll be able to bring that Tyranitar down and find out why it's attacking us in the first place."

Combusken smiled in agreement at her. It rubbed off some dirt on its side and was ready to continue fighting with it's trainer beside it.

Tyranitar stood in the far distance, bewildered as to why the two Pokemon retreated back to their trainers.

"Alright, let's do this, you two," Ash said confidently, "May, I'll be happy to battle alongside you. You're exactly the type of friend I always want at my side."

"So I see," May winked as she turned toward Tyranitar.

Sceptile and Combusken stood in front of their two trainers respectively, ready to continue the fight. This time with their trainers behind them, the two Pokemon stood confidently knowing that they have the support they need to win.

"May, I have an idea," Ash turned to her, "Neither long distance nor physical attacks seem to be working against it….but if we…"

"…strike it at different intervals," May continued for him, "We may just confuse Tyranitar enough to not know who is going to hit it next!"

"Looks like you caught onto my idea already," Ash smiled, turning back to the battlefield.

"Sure," May nodded, "I think I can tell what you're planning just by looking at you."

"Ok then, Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!" Ash commanded.

"Combusken, use Body Slam!" May shouted.

The two Pokemon somersaulted into the air and landed at opposite ends of Tyranitar. Sceptile grinned menacingly as it quickly shot bullets of seeds toward the Dark type. The attack made contact with Tyranitar as Combusken swiftly slammed into its back with its arms.

"Tzar!" Tyranitar shouted, looking back at Combusken.

"Quickly, get of there and jump to the side!" she shouted.

Combusken leaped away from Tyranitar before the Pokemon could strike it. Sceptile continued taking small leaps to the side while firing Bullet Seed in succession at the Dark type. Tyranitar staggered as it could no longer ignore the pounding feeling on its chest from Sceptile's attack.

"Tyraaaaan!" Tyranitar roared as it charged for Sceptile in a ramming position.

"Now, May!" Ash said to her.

"Right!" May nodded, "Combusken, use Fire Spin!"

"Commmmmmbusken!" the Pokemon shouted as it shot a wheel of flames from its mouth.

"Sceptile, dodge Tyranitar!" Ash commanded.

Sceptile leaped up into the air and bounced off Tyranitar's head before somersaulting behind it. Tyranitar was more agitated than ever as it could no longer deliver a single blow to the two Pokemon without them avoiding it.

"This better work!" May hoped.

Tyranitar looked up as Combusken's Fire Spin had fallen from the sky and surrounded it completely. Several rings of fire closed in on Tyranitar in succession and beat down on its body. The Pokemon shouted as the intense heat from the flames radiated off its hide and had it immobilized.

"Now, Sceptile, fire Bullet Seed but aim for the rings of fire!" Ash commanded.

Sceptile opened its mouth and released its strongest seeds from its body at the Pokemon devastated by the rings of fire.

The attack then combined with the fiery rings as the seeds went around the flames in a circular pattern, those which kept the Pokemon immobilized. Tyranitar struggled to move its arms and legs but the pain and intense heat from the fire was too much.

"It's working, Sceptile's attack combined with the Fire Spin," Ash chortled.

The seeds started striking Tyranitar once they picked up enough speed from the fire spin. The Pokemon was now being assaulted with two attacks at once, the rings of fire that kept it immobilized, as well as the speeding bullets that gained enough speed from the rings and burst into flames upon impact against Tyranitar's body.

"It still can't move, should we keep on attacking?" May asked him, curiously.

"No. I don't think Tyranitar will be able to break himself free. These attacks are wearing it down, no matter how strong it thinks it is, all Pokemon can be taken down eventually," Ash stated.

"But fire attacks aren't that effective against Rock Pokemon, are you sure it won't be able break itself free from the attack?"

"Even though it's not very effective going by types, the damage of the attacks is still accumulating and wearing it down. Especially if those rings of fire hold consistent around its body."

May smiled, "I see now, looks like this is going to work. Great plan, Ash."

"Heh, thanks," Ash snickered, putting his hand behind his head.

Tyranitar couldn't take the heat any longer as it started twirling itself in a circular pattern inside the rings. The ground beneath it started to crumble and break as the Pokemon was digging a hole for itself to escape the attack from underground.

"Combusken!" Combusken shouted as it pointed toward Tyranitar.

"Huh?" May gasped.

"It's using Dig! Damn, it's going to tunnel its way underground!" Ash gasped.

"Oh no!" she covered her mouth.

"TYRAN!" Tyranitar roared as it dug a hole in the ground in the interior of the flaming rings.

Ash and May shook nervously as they could hear the burly Pokemon digging its way underground, but they had no idea where it would pop up from. Sceptile and Combusken stood side by side as they turned their heads nervously looking for Tyranitar.

"Ugh, it's tunneling its way underground. Don't you hear it?" Ash grunted.

"Yes…" May gasped in fear, "The sounds are getting closer, Ash!"

Ash looked along the ground as he could see it shaking from the Pokemon underneath. What he didn't realize was that Tyranitar was closer to him than he thought. Suddenly. the ground tore open right in front of Ash as Tyranitar jumped out toward the trainer.

May frightfully watched as Tyranitar slammed on the ground in front of Ash. Before the boy had anytime to react, the Dark Pokemon swung its arm into Ash's shoulder and sent him flying a few feet to the right.

"ASH!" May shouted fearfully as she saw him plummet to the ground head first.

"Sceptile!!!" Sceptile yelled angrily as it darted for Tyranitar.

Ash grunted as he tried to sit up from the ground. His head pounded as it had hit the same exact spot when falling to the ground as it did when the tree branch struck it. "Ugh…." he moaned as he frantically rubbed the back of his head over the bandage in pain.

"Tyranitar!" The Pokemon bellowed in triumph.

Sceptile however did not enjoy seeing its trainer being hurt twice, as its blades glowed a neon green color again. It angrily somersaulted over Tyranitar's body as it twirled itself into a spinning pose in the air. Before Tyranitar could even look up, Sceptile came crashing down upon its skull and delivered a double blow to its head with its Leaf Blade attack.

The impact directly struck the most sensitive part of its body as Tyranitar staggered backward in pain. Before giving it a chance to recuperate, Sceptile aggressively slashed Tyranitar along the chest with its Leaf Blade attack.

It gasped heavily, trying to catch its breath from attacking its opponent. Tyranitar grabbed its chest in pain as it fell down on one knee. The Pokemon closed one eye in pain as it took one last gaze at Sceptile. Ash's Pokemon spit to the side and watched triumphantly as Tyranitar collapsed along the ground. The Pokemon fell face first to the ground and lay motionless after taking the burden of Sceptile's assault.

"Busken, combusken!" Combusken compliment Sceptile for a job well done.

"Sceptile, Scep," Sceptile said proudly as it defeated their adversary.

"Ash!" May ran over to him frantically to see if he was ok. Sceptile and Combusken quickly followed her.

Ash was sitting upright on the ground, rubbing his head painfully. He glanced with one eye over at Tyranitar and somehow throughout all that groaning and pulsating pain, he snickered.

"Ash, you fell on your head!" May exclaimed as she kneeled down beside him, pressing against the bandage on the back of his head, "You got hit in nearly the same place again!"

"As long as my head doesn't explode, I'm sure I'll manage," Ash said, trying to force out a smile, "Hurts like hell though."

May grinned in relief as she applied pressure to his bandage to keep it against his skull. She sat on her knees beside him as she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other against his head. Sceptile and Combusken gazed down at Ash happily.

"Scep, Sceptile," Ash grinned, "You did good, buddy."

"Sceptile," Sceptile cheered.

"You too, Combusken," May added, looking up at her Pokemon. Combusken nodded knowing that Sceptile should receive most of the credit for delivering the final blow to Tyranitar.

"Ugh, let me stand, May," Ash said as he tried to get up.

"Are…are you sure you can stand?" May asked nervously as she helped lift him up from the ground, "I think we need to get you right back to that Pokemon Center."

Ash chuckled as May loosened her grip on him. He now stood upright, still holding the back of his head.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," he said, stroking his head, "But the Professor's ray gun, it got blown into the bushes over there during the battle. We can't forget about it."

"You're right," May said, "Combusken, could you go search those bushes on the other end of the field for the ray gun? Since you never saw it before, I'll say that it looks like some sort of mechanical gun, you should be able to spot it easily along the bushes when you see it."

"Busken!" Combusken beat its chest as it quickly ran toward the bushes to search for the gun.

Ash steadily walked over to the fallen Tyranitar. He gazed upon it sternly as the fainted Pokemon lie on the ground with its eyes closed. He then kneeled down before it and placed one hand on its head, trying to soothe its pain.

"Ash?" May asked.

"This Tyranitar…it belongs to the Professor," Ash said, rubbing its head gently, "Why did it attack us, May? Why didn't it calm down when we told it that we were here to bring it back to its trainer? Why…why did it attack us the same way it did Team Rocket? And…why did it do that to my…Swellow?"

May sighed as she noticed his voice begin to stagger with his last line. She gazed down upon the beaten Tyranitar as she could see its skin was scored by Combusken's Fire Spin. Its body also had several bruises and cuts from the battle.

"I…don't know," May scratched her cheek, "It made no sense why Tyranitar would just attack us like that. This whole battle should have never taken place."

"Hmmm…now I'm wondering what we should do with it. We can't exactly leave the Professor's Tyranitar fainted and badly injured along the ground here," Ash said as he stood back up.

"Didn't Jessie drop its Pokeball right before she blasted off?" May asked, "Tyranitar's Pokeball should still be along the ground here somewhere.

"Heh, you're right. I nearly forgot about that," Ash turned to his Pokemon, "Sceptile, you hear that? Could you do a quick search and see if you could find its Pokeball?"

"Sceptile," it said agreeably as it then began to march along the grass and look for Tyranitars' Pokeball.

Ash stopped rubbing his head and gasped painfully, the boy's head still hurt from the impact upon hitting the ground. May noticed that he was in pain and knew they had to get back to the Pokemon Center.

"I'm sorry, Ash, why do I keep letting these bad things happen to you? You keep getting hurt," May said in remorse.

"Don't blame yourself, heck, I'm asking myself the same question," he chuckled, "Why do I keep getting myself into these situations? The pain is a good enough reminder not to get myself into danger again."

"Wow, Ash, you're really something," May chortled.

"Combusken!"

"Sceptile!"

The two trainers suddenly heard their Pokemon call out from the distance. They looked up and then saw Combusken and Sceptile running back toward them.

"Hey, looks like they found them!" Ash said happily.

"Combusken!" Combusken said as it held up the ray gun to May.

May took the ray gun out of its hands and looked it over, "This is it, Combusken, great job. Yeeees, we're going to finally be able to turn my brother back to normal! No nasty needle for him! Tee hee!"

"Scep!" Sceptile handed the Pokeball over to Ash.

"Heh, thanks buddy," Ash said.

"Are you going to put it back in its ball now, Ash?" she asked him.

"Sure, what other way can we carry it around? Return, Tyranitar!" he called out as he pointed the Pokeball toward the fainted Pokemon.

The red laser emitted from the Pokeball and retracted Tyranitar back inside of it. Ash looked at the Pokeball in his hand before lowering it to the side.

"Well, May, we got the Professor's ray gun and Tyranitar back. Looks like we've accomplished what we set out to do," Ash said proudly.

"Yeah, but both you and Swellow got injured in the process. I wonder if this was all worth it," she clasped her hands at him, "I mean, we haven't even seen what your Swellow looks like in the emergency room. I…hope Joy lets us see it."

"I do too," Ash sighed.

"Alright, I'm taking you back to the Pokemon Center, Ash. Nurse Joy is probably going to kill us, but it's better that you have your head looked at again," she said, holding his arm.

"Heh yeah, let's go guys!" Ash called out to the Pokemon.

Sceptile and Combusken walked beside their trainers as May helped Ash walk back down the hill toward the Pokemon Center. May held his arm to keep him steady just in case he wobbled down the hill. The two slowly made their way back to the Pokemon Center's front doors.

Meanwhile at the Professor's lab, Brock was in the middle of changing infant Max's diaper. Max lay on May's bed in the guest room as Brock took off his diaper.

"Gah, that smell is enough to kill anyone!" Brock gasped, holding his nose. He took the dirty diaper and dropped it in the garbage. "Max, you did this on purpose didn't you?"

Brock took some wipes and wiped Max's backside, he then took a fresh diaper from the package and wrapped it around his torso.

"Good thing you fit into the same size diapers as the ones we bought for Ash," he said. Brock tickled Max's belly as the boy giggled. "Heh, and you were the one who I sent to buy diapers for Ash too, weren't you? Little did you know that you would be wearing those diapers yourself."

Brock pulled the infants shorts back on and sat him up on the bed. Pikachu jumped alongside the bed and sat next to infant Max.

"Chu, pika?" Pikachu smiled, patting the boys' head.

The Professor then opened the guest room door and immediately held his nose. "GOOD GOD!" he exclaimed, "What the hell is that smell?"

Brock realized that the Professor smelled Max's dirty diaper which was in the wastebasket against the wall.

"Well…" Brock tried to say.

"Ugh. That stench is appalling," The Professor said as he turned to Brock, "Didn't I tell you to take your shower since you were stinking up the place?"

"Hey!" Brock waved his hands, "That smell isn't from me, I took my shower when Pikachu was watching Max a few hours ago. You really think that I could smell that bad?"

The Professor continued to clench his nose, "Well considering your body odor smelled just as bad this morning, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Uh…you're exaggerating," Brock put on a half smile, "The smell is from Max's dirty diaper….uh…apparently he decided to let out a whopper and I had to be the unlucky one to clean it all up."

"What? Where is the diaper now?" The Professor asked.

"It's in the garbage there against the wall," Brock said, pointing toward it.

"Don't put it in the garbage, boy! The whole room is going to stink up now!" The Professor bellowed, "Why didn't you flush the diaper down the toilet?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Brock said as he got up and walked to the garbage basket.

Max played with Pikachu's ear as the two watched Brock reach in and pull out the dirty diaper. Brock then walked to the bathroom and flushed the diaper down the toilet bowl.

"There…all done," Brock said.

"All done? You didn't wash your hands did you?" The Professor continued, "Do you think I want that stench on your hands spreading around my lab? Go wash up!"

"Yeah…of course," Brock sighed as he walked to the bathroom.

"And remember to use lots of soap! Clean your hands well!" The Professor shouted over the room.

"I hear you!" Brock rolled his eyes as he turned on the faucets, "Geez, he really is pushy when he wants to be."

"Bah, I might as well get back to my work now," The Professor walked toward the doorway, "I hope those friends of yours come back soon. They're been gone nearly the whole day already, its been 8 hours!"

Brock finished washing his hands as he rubbed them with a towel. He walked out of the room and sat down on the bed next to Max.

"I hope so too. I just hope Max doesn't deliver another one of those whoppers to me before they get the ray gun back," he said as he smiled at the infant.

"That reminds me," The Professor said as he turned around, "Do you or your friends have any Psychic Pokemon?"

His question caught Brock off guard, "Hm, no we don't. Why do you ask?"

"Just that if your friends don't find my ray gun by tomorrow, then I might as well whip up another batch of my #69 formula and inject it into Max's bloodstream. I'd like to turn the boy back to normal as soon as possible so this whole fiasco can be forgotten about," The Professor said, "The only problem is I just realized that I have no more materials to make another batch of the formula. So unless they find the ray gun and we use that to turn him back, the boy will be stuck as an infant for a little while longer."

"But what are the Psychic Pokemon for?" Brock asked.

"Oh, they just help with the formula. A key ingredient of my formula #69 deals with my study of Psychic Pokemon over the years. If you must know, one of the reasons the formula works is because I take a blood sample from Psychic types that know the move "Recover". I then mix the chemistry of the attack with other ingredients and presto, it reverses the de-aging process and brings the infants back to their normal age."

"Wow, that's interesting. I always figured that the formula of yours could have been related to healing powers that certain Pokemon know, but I didn't really dwell on it," Brock said.

"Ah, no worries then. I'm sure I can get the Pokemon Center a few miles from here to transfer one over," The Professor said as he walked out of the room.

Brock glanced up at the clock, it was indeed over 8 hours since Ash and May first left.

"You guys have been gone a really long time," Brock said to himself, "I sure hope they didn't get themselves into any trouble. Sometimes I wonder if those two can even navigate a forest by themselves without getting lost. But knowing them, they're probably lost in the forest anyway. Either that or they just can't find Team Rocket."

~*~*~*~~*

Ash sat comfortably in his bed again at the Pokemon Center. He now had another set of bandages wrapped over the previous ones, which cushioned his head even more. May explained the story to Joy as to why they had to run out of the Pokemon Center in hopes that Joy would forgive them.

"You're lucky that you didn't get yourself hurt anymore than you did, young man," Joy scolded her patient, "Chasing after a bunch of crooks who stole your possessions isn't the smartest thing to do when you're hurt in the first place."

"Don't blame him, Joy," May defended him, "We just couldn't let them get a lead on us again or else we'd never be able to find them again. They were going to leave the port by ferry in a few hours anyway, that's why we rushed to catch them."

"I understand, but it was still reckless behavior," Joy said, "Now, do not get up from your bed unless its to go to the bathroom, you understand? And even then I'm not sure I want you walking there by yourself."

"I…understand," Ash sighed, "Its not like I'm that badly hurt or anything though….nothing like my Swellow's condition."

Joy relaxed her tension a bit, "I'm sure you're worried sick about your Swellow. And I promise the first thing tomorrow you'll get a chance to see it."

"Really?" Ash asked happily.

"Yes, Swellow is resting now but it's still in a great deal of pain. I believe seeing its trainer will give it the strength it needs to pull through," Joy said, "But remember, you still need to make up your mind whether you want to proceed with the surgery via the Psychic Pokemon procedure of healing it."

Ash nodded solemnly, "I know."

Joy nodded as she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. May walked over to the Professor's ray gun which was on the table next to Ash's bed. She placed one hand on it as she thought of her brother.

"May, it looks like I'm going to be spending the night here. I know you want to turn your brother back to normal, you should go ahead and go back to the lab," Ash said.

May held the ray gun in her hand and turned to Ash, "You'll be ok?"

Ash grinned contently. "Yea, don't worry, I'll be fine by myself, go help Max."

May twitched her body and blushed slightly, "I do, Ash. I want to help my brother so badly, but I'm a bit split about leaving you here. After what happened in the forest, I wanted to make sure to be by your side as you got better again."

"Go," Ash said, "It's ok, I appreciate it. But you also have to bring back Tyranitar to the Professor, as well as tell Brock and Pikachu everything that happened. The guys don't even know what happened to us."

"That's true," May nodded, "Pikachu especially would get upset if it heard you were hurt and are in a hospital bed. I should also tell them about your Swellow."

"Yeah, go help your brother, May," Ash said, "Baby Max probably misses you."

May stepped over to Ash and leaned herself toward him, "I'll come back, ok? I'm not going to stay at the lab after I tell them the news. I don't want to sleep there knowing that you're still here."

"You're sounding really corny," Ash said as he stroked her arm.

May blushed contently as he rubbed her arm gently. She slowly stepped backward and started gathering her belongings from the table. She put Tyranitar's Pokeball in her fanny pack and picked up the ray gun in her right hand. She strapped her fanny pack around her waist as she slowly walked toward the door.

She turned back toward her friend compassionately, "Good luck, Ash. I know you'll be able to make the right choice for your Swellow."

"I...hope," Ash sighed.

May sighed as well as she opened the door and walked outside. She took one last glance at Ash sitting quietly in the room before she gently shut the door.

"Ash…" May said to herself, "Hmmmm, alright Max. I guess it's time to correct my past mistake for not being there to help you when Team Rocket broke into the lab. You'll be back to my annoying 9 year old sibling in no time."

May replayed the days' events in her mind as she headed back to the Professor's lab. So much had happened in one day, that it was easy for everything to jumble together and forget most of it. With ray gun in hand, she quickly jogged her way back to the lab eager to turn her brother back to normal and give the news about Ash and Swellow to Brock, Max and Pikachu.


	17. Secrets revealed

**Chapter 17  
****  
****"Secrets revealed" **

"How should I do it…." May thought to herself as she approached the lab, "…maybe I should….eh…I can't just say it like I'm telling the weather or announcing the end of a Pokemon battle…jeez…how did I talk myself into this?"

May frowned with uncertainty as she stood right in front of the labs' front doors. She struggled to find confidence in herself and the courage to explain her thoughts. Should she just tell them right away or should she wait until Max is returned to his normal age? Should she break the news to them before she turned Max back to normal? Would they be able to handle it knowing that Ash and Swellow have been injured and are resting in a Pokemon Center? Would the Professor be upset that they couldn't handle a simple request without getting themselves into trouble? Would her brother Max be able to take the news without bursting into tears?

May rubbed her forehead while she glanced at the labs electronic doors. She looked down at the ray gun she was holding, "I…gotta tell them somehow. I just don't want them to be all upset…" she frowned.

"Maybe I'll just explain everything right away," she said to herself, "It's better to explain what happened now rather than later. Yeah that's it….I'll…"

Suddenly, May looked up as the sliding doors opened and Brock stood in the doorway. Brock and May stared at one another in shock.

"MAY!" Brock exclaimed, noticing that she was holding the ray gun, "I thought I heard someone talking outside the lab."

"Wha…really? You mean I was thinking out loud?" May said, startled.

"Either that or you think too loudly. Professor!" Brock called back into the lab, "May's back and she has your ray gun! Hurry up!"

"Brock!" May motioned her hand to tell him to stop shouting, "I have something very important to tell you…it's about…"

"Where is Ash by the way? Is he walking up the hill back there?" Brock asked.

"No. That's what I want to tell you…you see we…"

"By golly! It took you long enough!" he said. The Professor barged through Brock and approached the girl, "You've been gone for over 8 hours, you know! Did it really take that long to find my stuff?"

"Well yea…but…" May stammered.

"My ray gun!" The Professor exclaimed as he snatched the gun out of her hands, "Nice going, girl, my invention looks safe and sound. Doesn't even look like there's a scratch on it. Looks like your baby brother will be back to normal in no time flat…boy am I thrilled that this baby business is over!"

"Ash and I ran into Team Rocket and we had to…"

"Did you get back my Tyranitar from those clowns too?" The Professor quickly interrupted her.

"It's in my fanny pack," May said, tapping her bag.

"Oh goodie," The Professor pranced behind her and started digging his hands through her fanny pack as it was still attached to her waist.

"Hey! What the heck do you think you're doing!" an annoyed May said, "I didn't say you could stick your hands in my bag?!"

May pulled away from the Professor as he looked a bit dumbfounded.

"Wha…what's the matter? What do you have a secret diary in there or some spare lingerie or whatnot? Don't worry miss, in my rather long lifetime I've seen it all. Nothing women carry with them surprises me anymore," The Professor said, smiling.

"I think you're nuts," May said bluntly, "Gee, I never heard of an old man who sticks his hands inside innocent little girls' fanny packs."

May snootily turned her back to him as she took her bag off her waist and started examining it. She brushed aside a few of her Pokeballs until she saw the Pokeball with a large dent on top of it.

_That must be Tyranitar's, _May thought, [/i] Maybe I should tell him about its injury as well. [/i]

May turned to the Professor, holding up Tyranitar's Pokeball to him. "Your Tyranitar battled…"

"Give me that!" The Professor said, snatching the ball out of her hands. He then started rubbing the Pokeball with his hand. "Oh my dear Tyranitar, thank goodness I didn't lose you to those three crooks forever."

"But…" May tried to say.

"Now, now, no need to apologize to me," The Professor said, holding both his possessions, "I know you're trying to apologize for coming back late and wasting all my time..."

"That's not it at all! I need to tell you something about your Tyran-"

The Professor slipped Tyranitar's Pokeball into his pants pocket as he grabbed May by the arm and pulled her with him into the lab. "No time for words! It's time to get your little brother back to normal!" he said excitedly.

"Hey…stop pulling…you don't have to yank so hard!" May grunted as the Professor pulled her along up the stairs to the guest room on the second floor.

"Wow, he must be really excited," Brock said knowingly as he followed behind them up the stairs.

The Professor pushed open the guest room door as he saw Pikachu and Max playing together.

"I have a surprise for you two!" The Professor exclaimed as he pulled May into the doorway, "The girl has returned!"

Max and Pikachu gasped with joy as they saw May standing in the doorway. Max got so excited that he let out various high pitched squeals and crawled toward his sister.

May hastily pulled her arm away from the Professor and bent down on her knees. She felt elated as she looked at her brother who was crawling toward her and smiled immensely.

"Max!" May said happily as she snatched her brother off the ground, "Hey there!"

"Haha…May!" Max said happily, hugging his sister around the neck.

"That's amazing," Brock said as he walked up behind them, "I've never seen Max so energetic and happy before. That's the most he's said in the entire day!"

"Oh, Max, I told you I'd find a way to turn you back to normal," May said, hugging her brother tightly.

"Alright let's get this over with quickly. You better lie the boy down on the bed, remember what happened last time when you were holding your friend and you toppled over with him in your arms?" The Professor asked.

Throughout all the commotion in the lab and the thrill of seeing her brother again, the thought to tell everyone about what happened to Ash and Swellow had slipped her mind.

"Yeah but…this isn't going to work, is it?" May asked uncertainly.

"What do you mean? I'll simply use the ray gun to reverse the process and turn your brother back to normal. It worked when we turned you back to normal, remember?" The Professor said.

"The ray gun…I thought it only had enough energy to work once a day? If Team Rocket used that ray gun earlier today to turn my brother into an infant…it wouldn't be able to work now, would it?" May asked.

"Not quite. It's true that the ray gun doesn't have the power to accumulate enough energy if its already been used in the last 24 hours…for example…" The Professor aimed the ray gun up at May and Max. **"BOO! **

The Professor pressed the button on the side of the ray gun as he aimed it at the two siblings.

"What the?!" May gasped, holding her brother in her arms.

The energy started to form on the dish of the gun before suddenly disappearing and fading away.

"HA! Scared you, didn't I?" The Professor grinned.

"You're a sick old man, you know that?" May yelled at him, gripping her brother in her arms.

"Heh heh. See? As I just showed you via demonstration, the ray gun only has enough power to work once a day…..HOWEVER…."

"There's a Plan B?" Brock asked.

"No…not quite. The ray gun will work however in the same day but _only _if it's reversing the process," The Professor said, looking up at May, "Didn't you get turned into a baby and then turned back to normal on the same day girl? My memory is a bit hazy, but I think that all happened in the same day, didn't it?"

May thought to herself, putting her finger on her cheek, "You know so much stuff has happened that I barely remember. I think it all happened in the same day but I can't recall for sure."

The Professor slapped his forehead. "My goodness, I see alzheimers is hitting people younger and younger these days. If a young girl like you can't remember something from one day to the next, then what luck does that leave me as I get older?"

"Eh…I don't think it really matters in your case, Professor," Brock said, "Considering you know, you keep de-aging yourself right at the age when you're about to croak and then live your life all over again from infanthood onward."

"Huh?" a confused May asked.

"Gah! Didn't I say that was supposed to be a secret! Secrets aren't meant to be shared, you know!" The Professor snapped at Brock, "Remember our deal about "having all the women" you could want?"

"Oh right!" Brock nervously stood still, remembering their talk earlier, "My lips are sealed!"

He took his hand and pretended to zip a zipper over his lips. Max laughed watching Brock who was uncontrollably drooling at the thought of women at his fingertips. May looked at both of them completely lost as to what they just said.

"Pikahu, do you understand any of this?" May asked the Pokemon.

"Pika…pikachu," Pikachu shrugged its shoulders.

"Well that's good. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks something is completely nutty around here," she said sarcastically.

"Anyway, as I tried to say before I was rudely interrupted, the ray gun may not be able to gather enough energy to de-age someone in a single day, but it does have the power to reverse the process in a single day. That is…as long as I have another batch of my #69 formula to attach to the ray gun so it disperses the formula in energy waves at the patient…"

"Which you don't have," Brock reminded him.

The Professor sniffed. "Which I don't have," he said sadly.

"Wait…you don't have what?" May asked frantically, looking for an answer, "What? What's wrong?"

"His formula, May," Brock said, "He told me a little while ago that he ran out of the materials needed to make it."

"Gah, looks like we'll be stuck with the little tyke a little while longer," The Professor said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Max smiled up at his sister, he was quite happy to be in her arms. May patted his head gently as she turned to the Professor.

"So what…what now? I know that secret formula of yours is what's able to turn someone back to normal. You can either attach the formula to the ray gun and zap the patient back to normal…." May said while making a zapping motion with her finger, "Zzzzap!"

The Professor stared at her dubiously.

"OR, you can simply put that formula into a needle and inject it into a person's bloodstream and have them turn back to their normal age that way," May said, quite proud of herself, "I don't want my little brother to get such a big bad needle, so I'm quite content with the ray gun zapping method. But…if you just said that you don't have the materials anymore to make the formula…then…that means you can just buy them or something and make up a new batch? Right?"

May frantically turned to Brock, "Right?

She turned back to the Professor, "Right? Just go off to the store? Eheh?"

"I'm afraid not," The Professor said with a stern face, "I'm afraid your little brother will be stuck like that forever."

"WHAT?!" May gasped frightfully.

"Oh wait…did I say that? Ho ho," The Professor jested, "I didn't mean forever, I just meant until I'm able to gather the materials needed to make the formula again. Ha ha…you should have seen the expression on your face…" he laughed, pointing at her.

May calmed down, breathing more normally and now looked completely agitated, "You're completely unbelievable! You nearly scared me half to death!"

"Uh…Professor…don't you think she has enough troubles on her mind already without you adding new ones?" Brock said in her defense.

"Oh sure, but I can't help it sometimes," The Professor scratched his backside, chuckling.

"Ugh, my parents would kill me if I brought my brother back home like this," May said looking down at him.

Max's innocent smile however gave her renewed hope and made her feel content. She couldn't stay agitated any longer upon seeing her innocent brother's smiling face.

"The materials come from Psychic Pokemon…I extract blood from said Pokemon and mix them with other ingredients, and that's pretty much all there is to it. As long as the Psychic Pokemon know the move "Recover" that is, I can pretty much use that to reverse the de-aging process," The Professor said.

"Hey, that sounds similar to what other scientists are doing nowadays…" May contemplated.

"Eh…so I'll just have to call the Pokemon Center across town and have Nurse Joy send one of them over," he continued.

"Pokemon Center?!" May gasped, pulling her hair above her forehead, "Oh damn, I almost forgot about what I had to tell you guys."

"What is it, May? You still haven't told us where Ash is either," Brock approached her.

"Pika, pikachu?" Pikachu's ears sprung up as it too was wondering where its trainer was.

"Its...about Ash," she said solemnly. She looked at Brock and Pikachu hoping that she wouldn't break the news to them too abruptly, "He's…in the Pokemon Center that's a few miles from here."

"Really?" Brock asked, "What's he doing there?"

May bit her lip, not sure how to proceed. She looked down at her brothers' face, she knew that he too would remember the news once he was turned back to his normal age. She reluctantly looked back up at Brock and Pikachu.

"He's…resting at the Pokemon Center," she said hesitantly.

Brock noticed that she seemed to be very uneasy with explaining the situation. Her face broadened and looked like she was being barraged by a complex wave of emotions.

"Is that all? Why didn't the boy come back here?" The Professor asked abruptly.

"He…" May struggled to say as a tear formed in the back of her eye.

Brock knew that something was wrong. In all the time he traveled with May, he knew that she would never hesitate to explain something to her friends, especially something about Ash, unless the situation was serious.

"May, let me take Max out of your hands for a second," Brock said sternly as he lifted the boy out of her arms. The infant fidgeted, obviously not content with being taken away from his sister, but quickly calmed down once Brock held him against his shoulder. "May, if there's something that happened…"

"There is….haven't you guys watched the news? Didn't you hear about the forest outside the lab?" May asked.

"Huh? No we haven't," Brock said, rubbing Max's back, "I've been so preoccupied with taking care of Max that I never turned on the TV."

"I haven't turned on the tube either or the radio for that matter, I was too busy pulling out whatever little hair is still on my head trying to figure out what took you kids so long. That ray gun took _decades _worth of research to develop," The Professor stated.

"Oh…so then you guys have no idea at all then," she said timidly, scratching her arm.

"Professor, can you give us a moment in private for a minute?" Brock said, turning to him, "There's obviously something she wants to say, but there's obviously something wrong. With all due respect, I think she'd be more comfortable if you weren't here."

"So that's how it is, huh? I thought we were bosom buddies," The Professor said as if he were heartbroken, "Can't even break a secret with the old fart still in the room, eh? Secrets are meant to be shared you know."

"Err, I thought you just said a little while ago that secrets _aren't _meant to be shared," Brock said.

"Oh for the love of….never mind," The Professor uttered, "If it's really that important, I'll give you time alone with your friend. I might as well make the call to the Pokemon center in the meantime anyway."

"Thank you," May said quietly.

"Hmph," The Professor opened the door and gently shut it behind him.

May breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out of the room. She then looked at her brother.

"Brock, I think it would be better if Max didn't hear this either. I don't want him to be upset."

"Really? This doesn't sound good May, something serious happened, didn't it?" a concerned Brock raised his voice.

Brock placed Max on the floor and instructed Pikachu to watch him. He then motioned for May to follow him outside the room and into the hallway on the 2nd floor.

"Pikachu pika pikachu chupika!" Pikachu called out.

May turned to Ash's Pokemon, "Don't worry Pikachu, you'll see Ash soon."

"Pika…" the Pokemon lowered its ears in disappointment.

Brock closed the door behind them as they now stood on the hallway of the second floor. May walked to the railing and pressed her elbow against it. She looked down toward the working machines on the first floor that were busy pumping out materials as usual.

"So what happened, May? What is it that you couldn't say in front of the others? Where is Ash?" Brock asked standing beside her.

"He's as I said, he's resting in the Pokemon Center." May looked up at him.

Brock listened intently as May explained the story in detail. She tried to explain everything that happened, no matter how painful some of the events were to reciprocate. She noticed Brock looked more and more pale as she detailed the events that injured Ash and his Swellow. She would pause at the end of each sentence, look away and stare down at the machines on the 1st floor, and then struggle to continue where she left off. Brock wouldn't budge an inch and stared her solely in the eyes as he heard the news about one of his best friends. She then finished detailing the events that occurred and waited for reassurance from Brock.

"I…I promised Ash that I would go sleep with him at the Pokemon Center tonight. I promised him that I'd be with him until he recovered…I don't want to stay here at the lab knowing that Ash is over there all by himself," she said softly.

Brock gripped the bar on the railing tightly, he stared down toward the 1st floor himself as he tried to absorb all the information that May had told him.

She continued, "That's…why I didn't want to say anything in front of Max and Pikachu. I…couldn't think of being the one to tell them such horrible news. I haven't even seen what Swellow looks like either, it's just horrible to think about the pain its in."

Brock loosened his grip on the handle and took a long deep breath.

"And you're sure Ash is fine now?" Brock asked, sternly.

"He still needs some time to rest, but thank god his injury wasn't that serious. He didn't even need stitches or anything. I'm sure Ash will be ok…it's his Swellow that I'm scared about," May uttered.

Brock turned and started walking down the long hallway scratching his scalp. He would then turn around and begin pacing the floor back toward May. This motion repeated for about five verses as she watched him timidly. The girl wasn't sure what to say, she didn't want to say something to him and disrupt his thought patterns as she knew this was tough to absorb all at once.

As Brock started pacing the floor back toward her, he finally stood still. He turned to her, she stood there not sure what to expect, but was relieved once Brock began to sympathize with her.

"You…did the right thing, May, I'm glad you told me this news alone. It's…quite a lot to take in all at once. I can't imagine how hard it's been for you, you've seen everything first hand," he said between breaths.

"Yes, and that's why I need to return there. I saved Ash and Swellows' lives, I have to make sure they recover all the way back to 100%. He has a very difficult decision ahead deciding on the type of surgery to give Swellow. I… _need _to be at his side."

Brock ran his hand through his hair still trying to grasp the seriousness of the situation, "True, Ash would certainly want your company. You've already retrieved both of the Professor's stolen items, so there's no obligation for you to be here at the moment. I'll promise you this though, once the Professor makes a new batch of his formula, I'll make sure your brother will be turned back to normal safe and sound."

"Max…" she said sadly, pressing her finger against her cheek, "Thank you, Brock."

"I'll tell the Professor some story as to why you had to leave, so don't worry about that either. I'll make sure to come to the Pokemon Center first thing after Max is his normal self again, I really wish I could see Ash right now too. He's one of the best friends I've known too, I kind of feel terrible that I'm not there right now."

May nodded, "Ash means so much to me, seeing him desperately trying to free Swellow from the collapsed tree is something that will always be burned into my mind. He tried so hard to save his Pokemon…and he only got himself injured and nearly killed while doing so. He got hurt twice right in front of my eyes, I can't believe I let that happen."

"May, the last thing you should do now is blame yourself. That's one of the worst things you could do, it only leads to more heartache and more guilt. Ash is still alive right now because _you _saved him. If anything, what you did for him was something incredible, you saved his life," Brock told her in a parental tone.

"I know…it's just that it still bothers me. I mean this is Ash. I've never met anyone quite like him. He's always there for me and he's not once let me down during the entire time I've known him. I don't want to leave his side again, and I know he wants me there too," May confessed, "I don't think I've ever felt this attached to someone before, but Ash is just different."

Brock said knowingly, "You share a strong bond with Ash, perhaps you're developing stronger feelings for him."

"Wha? No…I…" May gasped.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of May, I'm sure Ash feels the same way," Brock chuckled as he put one hand on the doorknob of the guest room, "Get going, May. I'll take care of everything here at the lab. Ash will need you there with him to reflect on his decision about Swellow. You mean a lot to him too, make sure you give him my regards."

May smiled gently, "You're a great friend, Brock. Thank you, again."

Brock opened the guest room door as May started to walk toward the stairway, she stopped in her tracks and turned to Brock one last time.

"I don't think I'm going to be coming back to the lab until Ash is ready to leave," May called back to Brock as he stood in the half open doorway, "Tell Max I'm sorry that I couldn't play with him more as a baby…and…tell him what happened to Ash and Swellow after he's his own age again. I'm…not sure how he'll be able to take it…but at least when he's older you guys will be able to come down to the Pokemon Center yourselves and see the two of them."

"I got it, May. I'll bring Max and Pikachu with me to the Pokemon Center as soon as the Professor finishes his formula and turns your brother back to normal. I'm not sure if that'll take another day or so, but I'm definitely going to be there to see Ash and Swellow. Take care," he said, waving good bye to her.

"Bye," May said quietly as she jogged down the stairs.

She thought to herself about Brock taking care of her brother, and that filled her with optimism. She left with the confidence that her baby brother would be fine, and that the next time she would see him he would be at his normal age again.

May continued to walk through the main floor of the lab and noticed the Professor talking on the phone in front of a circular machine. The machine was a Pokeball transportation device, similar to the ones the Pokemon Center's use to transport Pokemon. The Professor had his back turned toward her as he was busy talking away on the phone. She quickly walked passed him toward the entrance of the lab, hoping that she could reach the Pokemon Center again before nightfall.

The Professor turned and caught May walking out of the lab at the corner of his eye. He realized that she must have been leaving for the same situation he was being described to about on the phone.

"Yes, yes, Nurse Joy," he said turning back to the Pokeball transport machine, "So that's what happened to Ash and his Pokemon, huh? Yes, the boy and his friends have been staying at my lab for the time being. Thanks for telling me, looks like he'll need my help for his injured Pokemon. I'll probably end up using the same Psychic Pokemon that you send me over to help his Swellow recover..."

A flash of white light formed in the center of the machine, as a single Pokeball materialized on the surface.

"…yes I have the Pokeball transported here safely, thanks," The Professor said as he hung up the phone.

"Ugh…" The Professor said to himself, "I forgot to ask Nurse Joy what it was that caused that forest fire to being with….unless…"

The Professor raised an eyebrow as he reached into his pants pocket and took out Tyranitar's Pokeball.

"…Don't tell me old friend, it wasn't you, was it?"

The Professor opened the Pokeball as Tyranitar began to form before his eyes. The Professor staggered as his Tyranitar lie on the ground badly beaten before him.

"Oh dear…this doesn't bode well," The Professor said as he ran his hand gently along Tyranitar's face, "Looks like living forever isn't such a miracle if your mind ends up deteriorating in the process. You've been de-aged a lot more than I have my friend, I didn't know that it could have such a negative impact."

Tyranitar was on the ground gasping in pain, trying to look up at its trainer, only that it was unable to gather the strength to do so. The Professor sighed, recalled Tyranitar back into its Pokeball, and then slipped the ball back into his pocket. He turned to the Pokeball on top the transportation machine that contained the Psychic Pokemon. He walked over to it and reluctantly picked it up.

"Well…first things first. I might as well start work on another batch of my formula #69 to help turn the kid back to normal, then use the Psychic Pokemon to help the boys' Swellow, and then figure out what to do with my ray gun and my own problem," The Professor said to himself as he picked up the phone once more. He quickly dialed the number once again to call for help. "Hello, Nurse Joy? Yeah it's me again. I think I know what set that forest on fire in the first place…and…I think my Tyranitar is going to need to spend some time healing at the Pokemon Center. It's a long story, but I'm going to transport it over."

Nurse Joy held the phone close to her face as she spoke to the Professor. She glanced over at Ash's Swellow, which had many bandages over its body and was hooked up to a machine. Nurse Joy knew that Swellow would be in good hands if the Professor himself instructed the Psychic Pokemon to heal it.

"I'll take good care of your Tyranitar, Professor Latrommi, and I'm glad that you'll be overseeing the surgery of Ash's Swellow in person. If only the world could be filled with more caring people like you….we'd have a perfect world on our hands…truly…goodbye," Nurse Joy smiled contently as she hung up the phone.

~*~*~*~

Over the following night and the next morning, the Professor toiled in one of his workrooms to make another batch of his formula #69. He used Gardevoir, the Psychic Pokemon Nurse Joy transported over, to extract the blood from. He also told Gardevoir that he would need its help to heal an injured flying type Pokemon. Gardevoir agreed to help the Professor, as the psychic type was trained by the Professor himself in his younger days.

Brock spent the night caring for Max and changing his diaper once more, also reflecting on the events that befell his best friend. As Brock placed the covers over infant Max's body and wished him a goodnights sleep, Brock felt slightly more confident that everything would turn out alright in the end.

May spent the night sleeping in Ash's room at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy had brought her a cot to sleep next to Ash's bed. Ash and May were quite happy to have each others company for the night, as the two spent the evening alone reminiscing about the first time they met each other back at Littleroot Town. They would banter, crack jokes, tell stories, share their love of traveling, and discuss their hopes and dreams for the future.

During that one night, Ash and May for the first time shared stories of each others' childhood days before they met. Ash would describe how he loved to climb on trees back in his hometown of Pallet, and May would counter by saying that she was scared of trees because she thought that they would turn into scary monsters when it was dark outside. Ash remarked that maybe as a little girl she saw some Sudowoodo that she thought were trees, and May would calmly deny it saying that it was just a childhood belief of hers.

They would share other stories as well about when they were living at home, such as May embarrassingly sharing the story of how her brother Max used to sneak into her underwear drawer and make fun of her for wearing bright pink undergarments. Ash would chuckle and say how he was glad that he was an only child. May also ended up bringing up the topic about her parents, and explained what her mother had told her, about how romantic the time was when her father and mother first met. Ash, never being one for romantic stories, felt that the tale was a little too boring and a little too "girly." May would then tease him for knowing so little about love and how he knew nothing about romance. Ash would comment about how romance was more a concept for girls and not for boys like him, and May would counter playfully by saying that someone needed to slap him for being so silly.

Both trainers managed to stay up well over 2 in the morning simply talking and jesting with each other. It wasn't until Ash mentioned how tired May looked that they both realized how late it was. They realized that they found themselves lost in each others conversations and after preparing themselves for bed, they wished each other a goodnights sleep and hoped that tomorrow they would finally get to see Swellow.

~*~*~~*

The next morning, the Professor had finished developing another batch of his #69 formula. He barged into the guest room in the wee hours of the morning which startled and scared Brock out of his mind. The Professor apologized and explained how it was time for Max to be reverted back to his original age. Brock questioned the Professor about how he finished it so fast, and the Professor responded by saying that he toiled all night working on it, and how he also knew that Ash and Swellow were injured in the Pokemon Center. Much to Brock's shock, the Professor revealed that he had lived with different alias' during the 269 years of his life, and how his current name was Professor Latrommi, which meant that he was a famous scientist who pioneered the research of long life in humans.

Without delay, the procedure was done quickly to turn Max back to normal. Brock sat infant Max on May's bed, and the Professor zapped the boy quickly with the #69 formula attached to the ray gun.

Max, now at his own age, screamed in embarrassment as he was still wearing the diaper Brock had put on him! Brock slapped his forehead for not remembering to remove Max's diaper before he was turned back to normal, and Max got so annoyed and embarrassed that he locked himself in the bathroom for a good 20 minutes.

After another hour or so passed, Brock explained to Max and Pikachu where May went, and what exactly happened to Ash. Brock received the reactions he was expecting, Max became hysterical upon hearing that Swellow needed surgery, and Pikachu looked depressed knowing that its trainer and one of its fellow Pokemon were injured. The Professor reassured the two of them, explaining how Ash would be fine and how Gardevoir would help with the surgery on Swellow. After another temper tantrum from Max not wanting to accept the fact of what happened to Ash, the lab received a call from May at the Pokemon Center. Brock answered the call and told her that her brother was back to his normal age, and also explained how the Professor would help with Ash's Swellow. May asked to speak to her brother in order to try and calm him down, but Max would not take the phone. Ash then told May that he should talk to Max, as he would be able to calm him down. Brock gave the phone to Max as the boy whimpered, listening to the reassuring words from Ash himself, and how he shouldn't overreact.

Another hour or so passed as Brock, the Professor, Max and Pikachu agreed to come to the Pokemon Center. They started gathering their belongings at the lab to get ready to make the trek through the forest and down the hill. Ash and May waited in their room for their friends to arrive, and also hoping that Nurse Joy would finally let them see Swellow.

Ash stood next to his bed, with one less layer of bandages on his head, peering out the window. He wore his black T-shirt and baggy blue sweatpants as usual, as his hat and sweatshirt lay on top the table. May, who was wearing her usual tight outfit of a red top and blue spandex shorts, had just finished combing her silky brunette hair in the mirror as she turned to Ash.

"Well, Ash, we're going to finally get to see Swellow today," May said contently, "Are…are you worried at all?"

Ash turned to her and grinned, "If you asked me this question a day ago I would have said yes, but now with the Professor coming himself to help my Swellow, I'm sure that everything will be fine. I can't believe that the Professor is really famous, and we didn't even know! I'm surprised he kept that a secret for so long, if Nurse Joy didn't tell us we might have never known."

"Yeah, why is it that the nutcases are always the famous ones?" May bemused.

"Heh, I guess everyone has something a little strange about them." Ash said, "At least it's better than being some goofy romantic."

"Hey!" May bantered, "One of these days you'll be eating those words, Ash Ketchum!"


	18. How long is forever?

**Chapter 18  
****  
****"How long is forever?"  
**  
"Where's my other shoe?" Max called out while looking around the room.

"I think it's over there behind the bed, Max," Brock said as he put his Pokeballs in his pocket.

The Professor sat on Max's bed waiting for Brock and Max to get ready so they could head down to the Pokemon Center. The Professor looked weary as he rested his palms on his thighs.

Max pulled his shoe onto his foot and after stamping it down on the floor so his foot was neatly snug, he quickly tied his laces and looked up at Brock. Max was worried, he was far more tense than anyone else in the room. He timidly petted Pikachu's head as he waited for the others to say something.

"You're ready, Max?" Brock asked.

"I…think so. I know Ash told me on the phone that he was ok, but I'm still a little nervous. I wonder how my sister was able to handle everything," Max said, rubbing his elbow.

"Your sister did a good job," The Professor said boldly as he stood up from the bed, "She's one of the bravest girls' I ever met, as well as the most compassionate. She retrieved what I sent her out to get and she saved the boys life. There is no higher honor in the world than that."

Brock was taken back at the Professor's compliments. "Professor, I didn't expect that from you. I'm glad you can see how many hardships May had to endure, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that as well."

"I can be nice sometimes," The Professor smiled, "After all, we are standing in front of her little brother. We have to be positive for the naïve little children who think life is all about happy stuff like sunshine and rainbows."

"I'm not some stupid little kid!" Max pouted, "I know more than my sister does anyway! Seriously with the way she acts sometimes, I think _I'm _the older sibling. Older sisters…who needs 'em? They gotta be the worst invention in the world, they were probably created just to annoy and boss around little brothers."

"Pikachu Pika?" Pikachu asked as it tugged on Brocks' pants.

"Yes, Pikachu, we're going," Brock said as he looked at the Professor, "Are you sure that Gardevoir is experienced enough?"

"What? Of course, I trained this Pokemon myself. It has my experience under its belt, and it has certainly saved lives before. We might as well get going," The Professor turned to Max and Pikachu, "Why don't you two wait by the entrance of the lab? I have something to discuss with Brock here."

"Eh? Fine," Max said as he motioned for Pikachu to run along with him. The two of them ran out of the guest room and started heading down the stairs.

"Now then, how's about I give you my way of saying thanks? Come with me to my living quarters," The Professor said.

Brock was a bit curious of what the Professor meant, but nevertheless he followed him across the hall to his living quarters. The Professor opened the door and walked toward his shelves that were nailed against the wall. The Professor's two ray guns rested on the shelf, the former being the one that de-aged Ash, May and Max, and the latter being the ray gun that Brock had saw before.

"Oh…that," Brock said softly, "Um…excuse me, Professor, but after seeing all the trouble that first ray gun caused, I'm not sure I want to see what the other one does too."

"Nonsense!" The Professor said as picked the second ray gun off his shelf, "I thought you said you like women?"

"Women?" a flustered Brock said as he could feel himself getting excited.

"Yes women, that was our agreement was it not? Unless of course you're not interested in women, I can help you with men instead if you'd like. Hm?" The Professor snorted as he raised an eyebrow.

"What? No I'm not interested in other men!" Brock shook his head nervously, "But the women part sure sounds nice!"

"Well then, if you'd like to know what this ray gun does, I'll tell you. It takes about a day or two to finally kick in, but after absorbing the rays of this device, you'll be quite the ladies man for about 24 hours."

Brock held himself back from getting too carried away and asked the Professor cautiously, "Wait a second, you created another ray gun just to do that?"

"Of course I did! I may be 269 years old but I'm still a _man. _You don't expect me to get any women at my age do you?" The Professor asked as he brushed the sides of his hair pompously.

"Well uh…no. But um…if this isn't natural…"

"Oh calm down, boy. It will only affect women that are attracted to you, so don't worry, you won't get any little girls or 75 year old grannies fawning at your doorstep. And besides that, it only stays in effect for 24 hours, so if you _don't _like the result, at least you only have to worry about it for a single day."

"So let me get this straight, a girl has to be attracted to _me _and then after being zapped by this gun, I'll be all set?" Brock asked.

"Sure. Swooning her over will be a snap. Of course if you still want to keep the girl after 24 hours have passed, then you'll have to do that yourself. I can only help you get the girls, it's up to you to keep them," The Professor said as he chucked the ray gun up in the air toward Brock, "Here catch!"

Brock was taken by surprise as he quickly caught the ray gun in his arms. "Uh…weren't you going to be the one to use the ray gun?"

"Nah. This is up to you, which is why you're going to be the one to do it. If you would like to go through with this, just aim the gun at yourself and press the red button on the side, just like the other ray gun. If not, then just place it back on the shelf. We haven't got all day you know, and I would like to help the boys Swellow sooner rather than later," The Professor said.

"Yes of course!" Brock said, "We have to get to that Pokemon Center right away, I'll…probably…"

The Professor walked toward the door of his room and opened it.

"Go ahead, I don't care. Remember it'll take a day or two to take effect, but place my invention back on the shelf after you use it. I'm heading downstairs," The Professor said as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Brock stood alone in the room as he held the Professor's ray gun in his hand. His eyebrows twitched as he was contemplating whether to use the device or not.

"Well…here goes nothing," Brock said reluctantly.

He took a deep breath, and then finally made his decision.

~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy brought Ash and May to the room Swellow was resting in. The flying type was resting on its stomach on a soft bed. It had a brace on its beak as well as several bandages wrapped around its wings. The bird had several wires attached to its underbelly which were hooked up to a machine. Ash and May were oblivious to all the technical machines around them, as they didn't understand what any of the machines meant. All they were concerned with was seeing their Pokemon alive and breathing.

"…Swellow…" Ash uttered in a distressed manner.

Swellow managed to lift its head up and looked toward its trainer. The bird smiled at Ash but beyond that cheery posterior, it was obvious that Swellow was still in a great deal of pain.

Ash gripped the bars on the side of the bed, his voice cracked, his knees shook, and he looked quite distressed. But he was happy to finally see his Pokemon for the first time since the events in the forest, and to see that it was alive and stable was reassuring.

Nurse Joy stood on the side of the room as Ash and May gazed upon their friend. The atmosphere in the room was somber but with a lingering shred of hope in the young trainers minds. May rested her palm on Ash's back as she knew how he felt. She stood slightly behind him as the two gazed upon Swellow.

"He'll be ok," May whispered softly into Ash's ear.

Ash slightly turned his face toward her and nodded, before looking back at his Pokemon. He hesitated as he slowly reached for Swellow and rubbed the top of his head. The bird grinned compassionately as its trainer rubbed it gently.

"You're the best, Swellow," Ash said as a moment of jubilation washed over him, "One of my friends is going to help you…and pretty soon you'll be flying in the air just like you used to."

"Swell….low…" Swellow said softly between breaths.

Ash and May grinned as they both felt very optimistic, seeing the delight in Swellow's eyes. Swellow felt content knowing that its trainer would never abandon him, he knew that with Ash as its trainer, there was nothing more important than friendship and kindness.

Nurse Joy gave Ash and May extra visiting time as she knew that the two needed this time to reconcile with Swellow.

45 minutes later, Ash and May were now waiting back in Ash's room. The Professor, Brock, Max and Pikachu had just entered the Pokemon Center and were heading toward the hallway with the patients.

"That's the room Ash is staying in," Brock said as he pointed up at the room number.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted happily as it recognized the scent of its trainer.

"Pikachu?" Ash looked up having heard its voice.

Pikachu suddenly ran into the room and jumped into Ash's arms. Ash hugged Pikachu heartily as Pikachu licked his face. The room was filled with joy as Ash and May were happy to see it.

"Long time no see, buddy?" Ash said giggling.

"Max?" May called out as she saw the others entering the room.

"Hey, May," Max said, waving at her.

May leaped toward him and hugged him tightly against her body. "I'm so glad to see that you're yourself again! I'll never let Team Rocket take advantage of you again, I swear!" she said happily.

"May…c'mon…I love you too but I want to see Ash," Max said as he pulled away from her. He looked up at Ash as he noticed the bandages wrapped on his forehead that went over the back of his hair. "Ash, those bandages…your head is still in one piece, right?" Max asked, pointing at them.

"Heh," Ash said as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder, "Yes, Max, my head is still in one piece. Nurse Joy even said that I can take off the bandages by tonight, how's that Max?"

"That sounds awesome…" Max said relieved, happy to see his best friend was ok, "Did you get to see your Swellow?"

"Max!" May scolded as she pulled him back by his arm.

"Hey…I just want to know," Max said disappointingly.

Ash opened his mouth to say something before the Professor interrupted him.

"I'm going to be the one who helps with Swellow's operation. With all the experience my Gardevoir has, the surgery should be done quickly," the Professor chimed.

"And then Swellow can just leave and come back with us?" Max asked impatiently.

"No…Max," Brock said knowingly, "Swellow will still need to rest after the surgery, people, and Pokemon for that matter, can't just get up and walk away right after an operation. It'll probably need to rest in the Pokemon Center for another day or two afterward."

"Whoa, I didn't realize that either," May said, embarrassed to be on the level of her little brother.

"That doesn't matter, we're not leaving this mainland until my Swellow is fully healed. I'll wait as long as it takes," Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu added, agreeing with its trainer.

"Oh," Max said.

"Mr. Lenient?" May asked the Professor.

"Ha. You're still calling me by that, huh? It's Professor Latrommi as Nurse Joy told you," The Professor said proudly.

"Hee…sorry. I guess it's an old habit," May blushed in embarrassment, "I'd like to apologize for being rude to you for the last few days, I didn't know how important you were…I also want to thank you for helping Ash's Swellow. It means a lot."

"Think nothing of it, if I happen to have had a mood swing, it's just in response to me being so darn old," Professor Latrommi laughed, "It seems I'm being affected by the same thing my Tyranitar is, however unfortunate that is."

"Tyranitar," Ash said sternly. He took a deep breath before continuing the conversation. "Your Tyranitar attacked us, Professor…."

"I've heard," Professor Latrommi said sadly, "I'm sorry that you kids had to be on the brunt of its assault. In case you didn't know, I've transported my Tyranitar to Nurse Joy here in this very Pokemon Center. It's being treated in another room down the hall."

"It is? I wanted to tell you about Tyranitar but you were too nutty last night," May said bluntly.

"I'm not going to hold it against you two for what happened to my Tyranitar, you two should be glad you came out of that alive," Professor Latrommi said.

"That's what I wanted to ask," Ash said as he approached and looked up at him squarely in the eye, "I want to know why your Tyranitar attacked us in the first place. It should have known that we were friends of yours, especially when we said that we were going to help get it back to you. Why didn't it listen? Why did it attack us?"

The Professor sighed as he scratched the top of his bald head. He walked over to the windowsill and stared through the blinds as the sunlight shone brightly against his face.

"I've had that Tyranitar ever since it was a Larvitar. It was my very first Pokemon that I caught in the wild when I was only five years old. This was somewhere around 260 or so years ago," he said casually.

"260 years!" Max screamed in astonishment, "How is that possible?"

Ash and May also listened to the Professor intently, but Brock already knew where the story was going.

The Professor continued while not turning away from the windowsill. He continued to stare through the slits of the blinds. "As you know I've lived a long life, and ever since my father died when I was only 10 years old, I've been obsessed with the idea of escaping death. Not only was I scared of what it felt like to be dead, but I wanted and _knew _that I could continue living throughout the ages. I ended up using my brain and tinkering with various experiments, and after years of hard work, I managed to invent the ray gun that you kids know good and well when I was around 30 years old."

"Wait a minute, does that mean that you actually used the ray gun on yourself?" Ash asked, confused.

"Yep, isn't that obvious?" The Professor replied, "Although I ended up using it on my Larvitar a lot more than me. Tyranitar only live a lifespan of 55 years, and I couldn't bear to continue going through life without my only friend at my side."

"Wow, so you kept de-aging your Larvitar, too?" May asked.

"Gee, you two need everything spelled out for you, huh? Anyway yes I did, although it evolved into a Tyranitar several times throughout my life, each time it was de-aged it would revert back into a Larvitar and have to evolve all over again. One time my Larvitar got itself into a fatal accident having been hit by a car…"

"That's horrible!" May gasped.

"…and right as it lay dying in front of my eyes, I knew immediately that I was the only person who could save its life. I ended up running with it in my arms back to my house, as its blood dripped all over my hands and clothes, hoping that it would be able to hold on until I got there. My Pokemon clung desperately to life as I made the trek home, and just when I thought all was lost, I found my invention. I quickly zapped my Larvitar, and instead of dying, the wound healed, and my Larvitar reverted back to infanthood again," The Professor sighed again, "I saved its life by turning it back into an infant."

"Amazing," May sniffed emotionally as she wiped a tear out of her eye.

"So what happened next?" Max asked impatiently, "Did anything else exciting happen?"

"Max, you dummy!" May yelled as she slapped Max on the side of his head.

"Argh, what was that for, May? I just wanted to hear the rest of his story!" Max said as he rubbed his head where his sister had hit him.

"This isn't some storybook you know, the Professor is telling us his life story! The least you could do is be more polite. Professor Latrommi doesn't even have to explain this to us," May bickered.

"It's alright," The Professor said as he turned away from the window and faced the kids again, "This next part I'm sure you're all going to want to hear, it's the reason my Tyranitar attacked the two of you."

"I'm listening," Ash said as Pikachu clung to his shoulder.

"Well throughout my life I continued to use my invention to de-age myself when I reached 70 years of age, just so I made sure that I didn't wait too long or else I could just…you know…wake up dead the next morning," Professor Latrommi coughed into his sleeve, "Anyway I'd use the device on my Larvitar/Tyraniar as well, so I could continue living through the decades with my only friend. I made sure to de-age myself right in front of an orphanage, just so I'd have someone, _anyone, _to take care of me as an infant. As an infant, I was pretty helpless as you know, since well you kids experienced that first hand. Luckily enough, both me and my Larvitar were continually cared for at various orphanages until I reached my childhood years. From there on, I would remember the events of my previous life, and generally just continue to live my life over again. I also made sure to stash my ray gun in a secret location next to the orphanage, as I was sure that the device would get lost or discarded while I was an infant. Once I reached about eight years of age, I would pray and hope that my ray gun was still in the same place that I hid it when I de-aged myself. Luckily, I was able to find it again each time, and thus I picked it up and continued living my life. Throughout the years my Tyranitar ended up being de-aged a hell of a lot more times than myself, and I'm afraid that it had a negative effect after all. You know how the saying goes, how there's always a price to pay when someone discovers a way to live forever?"

"Uh…I don't," Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"Me neither," May said.

"Well there is a saying, but I'm not going to bother reciting it for you two. Anyway, it seems that my Tyranitar attacked you two because its mind has ended up deteriorating after all the de-aging done to it," Professor Latrommi said.

"Huh?" May asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"It means that my ray gun also has a negative effect once it's used. Use it too much, and the person will end up losing their mind because of it. A living being can take only so much, and I'm afraid that fate has determined that every living thing on this planet is mortal, and we all have to go sometime. Escaping death is just not an option, it's the natural balance for living things," he sighed, "That's why my Tyranitar attacked you, its been losing its mind since it was de-aged a number of times over the years. I imagine that it'll continue losing itself to dementia, and ultimately plummet into insanity."

"Wait a minute," Brock said nervously as he approached the Professor, "Ash, May and Max have all been de-aged by the ray gun once. Does that mean that the same thing will happen to them? Answer me!"

Ash, May and Max quickly felt a shiver go down their spines. The three of them looked aghast at the Professor waiting for an answer.

"You mean we're going to end up losing our minds as well?" May asked frantically.

"May, I don't like this!" Max cried as he hugged his sister around the waist. May caressed her brother tightly as Ash stared uncertainly behind them.

"No no, calm down!" Professor Latrommi said cheerily, "You've all only been de-aged by the ray gun once, so no ill effects will come upon you. Its only from using the ray gun continuously that it will put a strain on your mental stability. Nothing will happen to the three of you."

"Really?" May asked nervously as she let go of her brother. Max looked up at his sister a bit relieved.

"That's a relief," Brock said, "I'm glad to hear my friends will be ok, you had me worried for a minute there, Professor."

"…but what does that mean for you, Professor?" Ash asked, "Didn't you use the ray gun on yourself lots of times?"

"Yes," Professor Latrommi said, sadly, "Which is why I'm afraid that I'll have to give up this idea of immortality. I was wrong to think that I could live forever, and I paid the price by seeing my only friend Tyranitar suffer before my eyes. This time…I don't think I'm going to use the ray gun anymore. I'll live out my days as I am, rather than having my mind deteriorate any longer from de-aging myself constantly.

"Professor," Brock said understandably.

"In a way I'm glad I met you kids, you've pretty much literally changed my life. I'd probably end up continually using the ray gun as I got older and end up lost in a vortex of insanity because of it. I've already lived the lifespan of nearly four men, I've seen how the world has changed throughout the years, and I realize now that living forever isn't such a great idea after all. I've made up my mind, I'm not going to try and bend the rules of life anymore. This time, I'll be looking forward to my death," he said in a raspy voice as he sat down on the edge of Ash's bed.

There was an awkward silence in the room as the gang noticed that the Professor looked very weary. Sweat dripped off his head and he was breathing quite heavily. He sat there staring at the floor, reconciling with himself over his decision to live out his days.

Ash decided to break the silence.

"I'm sorry about your, Tyranitar," Ash said.

"Yes…." The Professor got up from the bed and reached into his pocket. He took out Gardevoirs Pokeball and stared at it in his hand. He sighed again and looked at the four kids that he had let stay in his lab for the past few days. "I think its best to carry out what I came here to do. Helping with the surgery on your Swellow is the least I could do for you, Ash."

"….thank you, Professor," Ash smiled as he walked up beside him.

"You know, kid, you kind of remind me of myself when I was younger," Professor Latrommi bemused, "Except of course that I was a hell of a lot better looking than you are."

"What?" Ash chuckled, "With your big nose I don't think so, Professor."

"Gwuh? Making fun of my nose, boy?" Professor Latrommi asked as he held his big nose in front of his face, "That's a cheap shot."

The room erupted with laughter that the group sorely needed after all the events that had occurred over the past few days.

"Hee hee, that's hard to picture, Professor, because Ash is pretty attractive right now," May giggled, blushing slightly, "You'd have to look really good when you were younger in order to top him."

Ash rubbed his head in embarrassment as he was surprised that May complimented him like that.

"Ewww…May, did you just say that you think Ash is cute?" Max teased his sister.

Ash turned away from May and Max, he started pressing on his sweatshirt and hat on the table next to his bed to make it look like he wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but he listened intently and looked over in May's direction out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, I just said that Ash is…nice looking…not that…you've got me all wrong," May said nervously, "Not this again...crap."

May was fidgety as she looked over in Ash's direction somehow falsely hoping that he wasn't listening. She nervously looked back at her brother more agitated than ever.

Max knew he was getting her angry. "Gee, I really wonder, May. You know I think you like –"

"Shut up!" May said flustered as she covered her brother's mouth with her hands. She nervously kneeled down in front of her brother and held his mouth shut as Ash, Brock and Professor Latrommi stared at them. "My brother says the dumbest things sometimes…eheh…I think he just likes to annoy me," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Brock smiled not wanting to embarrass his friends further while Ash had a blank expression on his face as he naively scratched his cheek.

_Wow, May, sure seems nervous, _Ash thought to himself, _I guess that's a girl for you. _

May pressed her hand against Max's mouth tighter, "OK NOW! Let's get going as Professor Latrommi is very busy with Ash's Swellow…." May announced to change the subject. She bent down and brought her face toward Max's ear right before she took her hand away from his mouth. "Now be quiet, Max, and don't say anything like that again!" she whispered in an unnerving tone.

Max was finally free of his sisters' grip and looked up at her slyly. He fixed his glasses on his face and grinned deviously. May noticed his expression and looked like she was about to go ballistic.

"Max I swear…" May said, grinding her teeth angrily.

"Ok ok! I won't say anything else," Max said cockishly.

May thought to herself, "If the others weren't standing here I'd be strangling my brother right now. Gah."

The Professor chuckled while walking to the door and opening it, "Looks like I have some work cut out for me now, I'm going to go perform your Swellow's operation, or rather Gardevoir here will," he said.

Ash quickly stopped what he was doing and barged through May and Max.

"I want to be there while Gardevoir is operating on my Swellow," Ash said quickly before Professor Latrommi could step outside.

"Me too!" Max called out.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" May yelled.

"Hey, this is about something totally different!" Max yelled back.

"Uh…you kids do realize this is a medical operation and not a musical performance or something, right? This is something serious, it's not a show for spectators. Remember, Gardevoir here needs the utmost concentration. Should it make a mistake while performing the surgery, it could mean something fatal," Professor Latrommi said while holding the doorknob.

"Ugh, you're right, Professor. Nurse Joy told me about all the consequences that will happen if a Psychic Pokemon makes a mistake during the operation," Ash said disappointingly, "It's just that I kind of wanted to be there with Swellow during the operation. I…want to let it know how much I love it and want it to make it through this."

Ash wiped a tear from his eye as he looked depressed. Brock walked forward to comfort his friend.

"Ash," Brock said understandingly, "Your Swellow already knows how much you love it. All your Pokemon do for that matter, right, Pikachu?

Pikachu nodded and smiled while holding onto Ash's shoulder, "Pikachu!"

"All things considered, Swellow will make it through this because it knows how much you care for it," Brock said, comforting him.

"Yeah, Ash," May added in a soft spoken voice, "This is one of your Pokemon we're talking about. I mean, people and Pokemon around you certainly get attached to you, Ash. I guess it's that sort of friendship and affection you give all of us."

Ash nodded and smiled at his two friends, "Thanks guys."

"One last thing," Professor Latrommi said, "Would you like to take a look at the Gardevoir that will be performing Swellow's surgery?"

"Yes…that would be great, Professor," Ash said.

"OK then," Professor Latrommi said as he gently threw the Pokeball in the air, "Come out, Gardevoir!"

A flash of while light in the middle of the room formed into the elegant Pokemon, Gardevoir. It was feminine in appearance, with a humanoid body and long green and white shades of fur running down its sides. Its torso looked like a dress that covered its white legs, and its eyes glistened as it was apparent that the Pokemon had years of experience under its belt.

Everyone in the room was in awe of the sparkling beauty of the feminine shaped Pokemon. Gardevoir waved hello to the kids as May found herself nearly gushing over the Pokemon.

"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir said, smiling.

"Wow, you're beautiful, Gardevoir," May said, clasping her hands while a twinkle of stardust appeared in her eyes.

"Wow, this Gardevoir reminds me of that Ralts I met back in Hoenn," Max said, admiring the Pokemon.

"Heh, you know if I were a male Pokemon I'd be all over this," Brock said grinning.

"Ugh, Brock," May said disgusted as she turned to him, "Don't tell me you're going to hit on Pokemon now too? Are you really that desperate?"

"Hey what? I wasn't being serious!" Brock said, waving his hands.

"Good thing that the _zapping _doesn't kick in for another day or so, otherwise you'd be in trouble, Brock," Professor Latrommi said, giving him the eye.

"Eh…oh you're right," Brock said, shrugging his shoulders, remembering about the ray gun that would "help" him with women.

"Gardevoir," Ash said as he walked up to the Pokemon and held both its hands, "I'm counting on you to operate on my Swellow. He…means a lot to me, and I want to see it soaring the skies happily like it used to. Please help it."

Gardevoir smiled compassionately and picked her hands out of Ash's grip. "Garde!" Gardevoir said to Professor Latrommi, "Gardevoir!"

"Gardevoir said that she'll do her best," Professor Latrommi said.

"But…" Ash said intrusively, "Doing her best isn't good enough. Gardevoir needs to make _sure _that she does everything right. If…if my Swellow dies…"

"Ash!" May said frantically as she tugged his arm and brought him to the side. "You're overreacting again, Swellow isn't going to die! I saved its life and now I'm sure Gardevoir won't make any mistakes and the surgery will be a success."

"Maybe," Ash said boorishly as he pulled his arm out of her grip, "This is just a lot to handle."

"Gardevoir, garde," Gardevoir said to Professor Latrommi.

"Yes you're right. We better get going," Professor Latrommi said as he turned toward the open doorway again, "Ash, you have my word that the operation will be a success."

Max and Brock looked cautiously over in Ash's direction as he continued to sulk while standing next to May. May's eyes wobbled looking at Ash as she wasn't quite sure what to say to her friend

Professor Latrommi sighed as he and Gardevoir walked out of the room and closed the door behind them. The room was silent as Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and back onto his bed. Ash sat down on the plastic chair next to his bed, resting his arms on his knees, and gazed down at the floor. The next hour during the operation would be the most unnerving for Ash, as this was a time when he knew that nothing could afford to go wrong.

"Let him be," Brock said to May, "I think he needs this time to himself, we should wait in the lobby."

May looked at Ash nervously, she didn't want to leave him sulking in his room by himself, but deep down she knew Brock was right

"Ash," May said lovingly, putting one hand on his arm, "We'll be right outside in the lobby, is that ok with you?"

Ash tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth. He closed his eyes tightly, opened them once more, and then cleared his throat to speak.

"Thanks, May….Brock, Max. You guys are the best," Ash said in a low voice.

Brock and Max headed for the door to leave. May walked to the door, looked back over her shoulder at Ash one last time, and then uncertainly closed the door behind her.

Ash sat on the chair with his hands clasped together. Pikachu rested on his bed not wanting to upset its trainer, either. The two sat in silence, as the next hours during the surgery would be the most grueling…

Brock, Max and May walked into the lobby and headed for the big orange couches that were against the wall.

Brock turned to Max, "You thirsty, there's a soda machine right against the wall there. Want something?"

"Yeah, Brock," Max said as he plucked himself down on the couch, "Get me a grape soda. I love grape soda."

"May, do you want anything to drink?" Brock asked.

May held her arms under her chest as she slowly sat down on the couch next to her brother. She was holding both her arms as if she were slightly trembling, despite the fact that she wasn't trembling at all. Her face looked perplexed as her mouth was wide open.

"May?" Brock asked again.

"NO!" May blurted out. Her raised voice surprised both Brock and Max, as they didn't expect her to be so upset. May quickly realized that she had snapped at Brock for no reason and nervously tried to say something else. "No, Brock…but thank you. I'm not really thirsty right now."

"Ok..." Brock said lowly as he knew May was as emotionally wrapped up in Swellow's surgery as Ash was. He turned around and headed for the soda machine.

A few minutes later, May, Max and Brock were sitting side by side on the couch, watching lazily as various people walked in and out of the Pokemon Center. Max was gulping down his can of soda quickly while Brock had a can of orange soda in his hand. May's hands were resting on her lap as her thoughts remained on both Ash and Swellow.

Max decided to ask some things about the Professor that he still found curious, "Hey, Brock…if the Professor is so famous than how come nobody knows that he's over 260 years old?"

"What do you mean?" Brock asked as he sipped from his soda can.

"I mean he has the same name, doesn't he? Surely people are going to realize that this same guy has been living an awfully long time, and especially since he's famous people should know how old he is…" Max asked.

"Well…the Professor did kind of allude to the fact that he used different aliases each time he de-aged himself. I'm sure he had to pick a brand new name and last name each time he was growing up from infanthood so nobody would realize how old he was," Brock said.

"That kind of makes sense, I guess," Max said, squeezing his can of soda, "But if he does pick his own name, then why'd he pick something as weird sounding as "Latrommi?" eh? That sounds like such a strange name, I wonder how he thought of it."

Brock crossed his legs smiling, "I think I know why he picked that name. We know the Professor was obsessed with immortality and living forever, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well…what is Latrommi spelled backwards?"

"Huh? Uh…it's uh…let's see…"

"Got it yet, Max?"

"No not yet…almost…."

"Well?"

"OH I GOT IT!" Max said happily, "Latrommi spelled backwards is immortal! He probably picked that name because he wanted to be immortal!"

"That must be it," Brock chuckled.

"Isn't that funny, May?" Max asked his sister in amusement.

"Huh?" May looked up at him as she was only half listening to their conversation, "Oh yeah…funny I guess."

"Eh…" Max grunted, squeezing his can even more, "My sister is being all moody all of a sudden."

"She does have a lot on her mind, Max, we are waiting for the surgery on Ash's Swellow to be finished, you know," Brock reminded him.

"Yeah, I'm worried about that too…but May is acting all depressed like Ash is. Professor Latrommi already told us that Gardevoir knows what it's doing, its saved many peoples lives before. Maybe my sister is just going through that monthly thing I heard my mother telling her about."

May furiously slapped her brother's head and yelled at him, "YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT SOMETIMES!"

"SORRY!" Max pouted as he got up from the couch and ran across the hall to throw his soda can out, "GAH!"

"Damnit," May crossed her arms, still agitated, "Little brothers…who needs 'em? They gotta be the worst invention in the world, just created to annoy older sisters."

Brock grinned, taking another drink of his soda while admiring the pretty girls that walked by in the lobby.


	19. Healing wounds

**Chapter 19  
****  
****"Healing wounds" **

"You'll need to meet with the patient telepathically, as you know, in order for this operation to proceed," Professor Latrommi instructed.

"Alright, everything is a go," Joy said, hovering over Swellow's bed, "Just try to relax, Swellow, Gardevoir here will be meeting you telepathically."

Swellow understood the situation at hand, and tried to clear its mind in order to meet with the Psychic Pokemon. The bird was resting on the bed in the same position as before, resting on its belly with its wings spread out which were covered with bandages. The bird closed its eyes ready to accept the operation.

Gardevoir took one step forward against the railing of the bed, and placed one palm on Swellow's head. Gardevoir closed its eyes and started humming a hypnotic tone to itself, its body started to glow in a blue aura, as it carefully tried to meet with the patients mind.

"Swell…?" Swellow muttered, feeling something strange.

"Relax, Swellow," Joy said, "You may feel a bit odd at the moment because Gardevoir is trying to speak with you telepathically. You must leave your mind at ease so it can reach you. We won't be able to do the operation if your minds aren't linked."

Swellow complied resting in a tranquil state, as the blue aura started to spread from Gardevoir's body and conjoin with Swellow's. The Psychic type continued to hum and chant moving its hand gently across the patients scalp.

Joy walked over to the Professor, who was standing next to Gardevoir on the opposite side of the bed. "Gardevoir, was trained by you, was she not?" Joy asked.

"Yes, this Gardevoir was," Professor Latrommi whispered to her, "It's a professional in this field and has done this quite a number of times in the past. There's no reason why Gardevoir shouldn't be able to meet with Swellow telepathically. As you know, it needs full concentration and control over Swellow's thoughts and body in order to do the surgery."

"I'm well aware of that, Professor, but with all due respect there have been a few fatal cases in the past," Joy sighed, "If Gardevoir makes a mistake while telepathically linking itself to Swellow, it could unintentionally cause a stroke or a heart attack in the patient. I just don't know how the boy Ash would be able to take it."

"Listen to yourself, have some faith. You are a nurse in the medical field for goodness sakes! Doctors are not supposed to have pessimistic views on patients during operation. We're here to save as many lives as possible," Professor Latrommi whispered loudly.

"I know…I guess I'm sorry for overreacting a bit. Probably because I saw how heroic the girl was when she got both her friend and Swellow out from the forest fire," Joy said.

"There's nothing to worry about. Gardevoir was trained by me, the person who first came up with this new medical technique. And as you know, humans can easily make a mistake in surgery just as much as Pokemon can."

Joy looked over at Gardevoir, who has its head lifted high, no longer chanting, but still with its eyes closed.

"I understand, Professor. I apologize for not acting like a proper nurse. When Gardevoir finishes the first half of the surgery, I'll be one of the people who help finish it by hand," Joy said proudly.

"That's the spirit, Nurse Joy, I'm glad to hear it," Professor Latrommi smiled encouragingly.

"Gardeeeeeevoir!" Gardevoir said eerily out loud.

"What's happened?" Joy asked.

Professor Latrommi walked over to the bed and saw that Swellow's pupils were no longer in its eye lids. He looked up at Gardevoir, who also had no pupils. He backed off and turned to Joy.

"Looks like Gardevoir was able to meet with Swellow's mind telepathically. Right now they're exchanging thoughts, with Gardevoir telling Swellow exactly what she'll be doing during the operation. Looks like the first part of the operation is a success," he smiled.

"Gardevoir….voir," Gardevoir said.

The bandages on Swellow's back slowly started to lift in the air off its body. Gardevoir was using its Psychic ability to raise them with her mind.

"Gardevoir now looks like she's ready to perform the actual surgery. I need to make an incision in Swellow before she can proceed, should I be the one to instruct it, Professor?" Joy asked.

"Yes, certainly. Tell it exactly what was damaged in its body, which bones were fractures, etc," Professor Latrommi said, "I'll be right here in case you need help."

Joy nodded as she looked intently where Swellow took the most damage from the fallen tree. She instructed the Pokemon, "Swellow's wings were fractured, and several of its bones were broken…here…here…and around the abdomen. We'll need to fuse new synthetic bones and realign others if Swellow has any hope of flying again. Do you understand?"

Gardevoir nodded as its pupils returned to its eyes. The blue aura grew in brightness while the Psychic type began performing the actual operation.

"Swellow is in a hypnotic trance at the moment thanks to Gardevoir meeting it telepathically," Professor Latrommi said, "It won't feel any pain during the surgery because of its tranquil state, the patient won't flinch or move either, so feel free to work as you please."

"Thank you, Professor," Joy said, "We'll need to align these bones here…"

~*~*~*~

Brock had just finished his can of soda as he tossed it in the garbage beside the couches. Max was watching the people coming into the Pokemon Center, while May was pacing the floors back and forth. She held her hands behind her back as her head was lowered in a worried manner.

Max turned to Brock and his sister, "Hey, guys, did you notice that there are a lot of people walking into the Pokemon Center with these giant surfboard thingies?"

Brock and May looked up noticing that a lot of people were indeed carrying large oval shaped surfboards with a large surface area in the middle. The edges of the board had a wall that ran across the entire perimeter, so that the boards were enclosed on all sides but the very back. The boards looked like they were big enough for two people to stand on at once, and most of them had a sturdy tether tied to the end of it.

"Hmmm…that's really no surprise, Max, these people must be going surfing," Brock said, "We came to this mainland by ferry from the other side of the sea, and we landed at a port in a rather large beach complete with a boardwalk, stores, and everything."

"I know that!" Max said impatiently, "We saw a lot of people at the beach when we first came here. What I meant to say is that look how these surfboards are different than normal ones. They're much more oval and shorter in width, and all the sides are enclosed a bit. I wonder what the tether tied at the end is for too."

"Now that you mention it, Max, I don't think we saw those type of surfboards when we first came here," May said as she stopped pacing the floors, "These look kinda different."

"Oh hey! You wondering about 'dem surfboards, dudes?" an unfamiliar voice asked from behind them.

Brock, May and Max turned around as they saw a tall, 20 something year old male with long blonde hair and a goatee. He was wearing a sleeveless purple T-shirt, orange shorts, and blue sandals. In his hands he was holding the large oval shaped surfboard that they were curious about.

"Uh…hi?" Brock said.

"Oh DUDES!" The man said in a typical surfer accent, "I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation or anything, I was just passing by and I heard you guys wondering about these here surfboards. Aren't they just the most tubular far-out things you ever saw? Har har."

"Well…yeah," May said, "My brother just noticed that a lot of people coming into the Pokemon Center have these kind of surfboards. Is there something going on at the beach down at the port or something?"

"Whoa, dudette, you mean you really don't know? You're not yanking my chain now, are ya? Har har! The guys down at the beach have been selling these surfboards for a while now, we're all getting pretty hyped up for the competition coming up next week," the blonde man said, pushing his hand through his locks of hair.

"What kind of competition?" Brock asked.

"Why, it's a race of course! It's totally tubular, man, we all race on these crazy surfboards and GET this, we're not really surfing! Our Pokemon are supposed to be pulling us by the tether attached at the end to help us win the race. Isn't that totally wicked?" the man cracked a gigantic smile.

"Really?" May asked, "That sounds interesting, so it's a Pokemon race then? Do you know what the prize is by any chance?"

"Oh just some free cash and some other stuff that only the ladies like yourself would like…oh hey there's my girl now!" the surfer whistled loudly so his brunette haired girlfriend would see where he was, "Over here, babe!"

"There you are my little snagglepuss, I've been looking for you," the brunette haired girl said. She was wearing a generic t-shirt and shorts with the same sandals as the man.

"Just talking to these kids here, they were interested in the surfer competition coming up. Snuggle noses?" the man said to his girlfriend.

"Aw, you mean in front of everyone? You pumpkin pie, alright, let's snuggle noses!" the girl said happily.

The surfer and his girl then moved their faces close together and snuggled their noses for a few seconds together.

May's body twitched as she watched the couple snuggle their noses. She remembered that she did the same thing to Ash when he was an infant. The sight of seeing the couple snuggling their noses brought Ash back to her attention again as she thought about him sulking in his room.

"Well well, dudes, its been nice meeting you, but we're gonna head down to the beach and practice for the race coming up!" the blonde man cheered.

"See ya later!" the girl said as she wrapped her arm around her boyfriend and walked with him toward the exit of the Pokemon Center.

"Wow, that Pokemon race thing sure sounds interesting. Especially the part where they're the ones pulling the tether to help you win the race," Max said.

"Never mind that, did you see how hot that girl was?" Brock asked hastily, "If that wasn't her boyfriend I would have asked her out! If there are more girls like her down at that beach, then I'd certainly like to spend some time there!"

"Forget it ,guys," May said, pacing the floors again, "We're here for Ash and Swellow, remember? We don't have time for some silly Pokemon race."

"Yeah, we remember," Max sighed, "It's hard being hit back down into reality."

"Swellow's probably being operated on right now," Brock said, sitting back down on the couch, "All we can do now is hope that everything does well."

"Yeah…let's hope for the best," May said uncertainly.

~~*~*~*~

Ten minutes later, Ash and Pikachu walked out of their room and began walking toward the lobby. Ash was walking steady now, he no longer staggered like he did the previous night. His head also ceased pounding, something he was quite relieved about. He still wore his black T-shirt with the orange stripe along with his sweatpants. His socks and shoes were also on, but he left the rest of his attire back in his room.

"Hmmm…the guys said they were waiting in the lobby, Pikachu," Ash said to his Pokemon who was walking on the floor beside him, "I hope they're still there."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.

Ash and Pikachu walked along the hallway and turned the corner as they entered the large circular lobby of the Pokemon Center. He was quite happy when he saw that his friends were standing around the orange couches against the wall.

May was the first one to spot Ash, she looked up quite surprised that he was walking out of his room and quickly ran over to him. Brock and Max wondered where May suddenly took off to until they spotted Ash as well, and then followed her over to him.

"Hey what are you doing out of bed, Ash?" May asked encouragingly, as if she wanted to have a long conversation with him, "Don't you still feel tired?"

"Nah…not anymore. I don't even feel woozy anymore, guess I'm getting over this quickly," Ash smiled.

May's face warmed with affection upon seeing her friend, who was generally more optimistic and upbeat than he was before. She was about to say something else until Brock and Max came up beside her.

"I thought you needed some time alone, Ash," Brock said.

"Yeah, aren't you worried how Swellow's operation is going?" Max asked.

"I am, but for some reason I feel much more confident now than I did before. I know my Swellow will get better, I can just feel it. I guess I just realized that I was sulking in my room for no reason," Ash said, looking at his three friends compassionately.

"You did look a little depressed, I'm glad you're cheery again," Brock said, giving Ash a playful punch to the shoulder.

"It's just that…." Ash said before trailing off.

"What is it, Ash? Wanna say something?" May asked quickly in order to encourage him to continue. She smiled and held her hands in front of her.

Ash looked at his three friends again, who all had positive and cheery posteriors while in front of him.

"It's just that I didn't want to sulk in my room anymore by myself," Ash confessed, "At a time like this I shouldn't be pushing you guys away and asking for time alone, at times like this I need my friends more than ever. I want to be with you guys, that's all."

"Heh, Ash, I can agree to that," Max said, hugging Ash's leg.

Ash looked down happily as Max hugged his leg. May smiled, quite proud of her little brother and happy to see that he cared for Ash as much as she did.

"I guess you have a way with kids, Ash, you always did," Brock grinned.

Max let go of Ash's leg and wiped his nose happily. He bent down and gently patted Pikachu on the head.

"So do you guys want to come back to the room, or should I stay out here with you in the lobby?" Ash asked.

"Well I guess we could…" Brock trailed off as he saw Professor Latrommi walking toward the lobby behind Ash, "Hey…there's the Professor!"

The gang turned around and saw the Professor walking toward the lobby, carrying a Pokeball.

"Professor, we're over here!" Ash called out.

"Hey, Ash, maybe the surgery on your Swellow is finished," May said, walking over to him.

"You could be right," he replied.

"Ah there you kids are, I looked in your room, Ash, and I didn't see any of you in there! I thought maybe you all got kidnapped or something," Latrommi jested.

"Kidnapped, eh? Who would be able to kidnap someone as big as Brock?" Max bemused.

"Well I suppose someone could just gas me and stick me in a body bag and carry me away or something," Brock pondered, "Maybe even use a Pokemon like Sableye to perform mind tricks or whatnot."

"Or maybe ninjas could have jumped through the window and knock you out with a few blows to the head or something," Max added, half-serious.

"Uh…can we please discuss a different subject?" May said, rolling her eyes.

"Professor…my Swellow…?" Ash asked concernly.

"Ah yes, I would just like to tell you that the operation done by Gardevoir is finished and now the rest of the surgery is being done by hand by Nurse Joy and other doctors in the building," Professor Latrommi said.

"Wow, Gardevoir is finished already? That was fast," Brock said, astounded.

"Well the operation was all done using psychic powers as you know, it didn't take that long. Gardevoir used its healing powers to help realign and heal Swellow's broken bones, as well as deal with other broken tissue, etc."

"Did you hear that, Ash?" May said happily, shaking his shoulder, "Looks like we worried for no reason. Gardevoir's operation was a success, looks like all that bad stuff like Gardevoir making a mistake or something never happened."

"You're right!" Ash said elated as May was rattling his shoulder, "Psychic Pokemon really do come in handy for injuries. I'm so glad you were there, Professor!"

"Oh don't thank me, Gardevoir did all the work. And of course the rest of the doctors who are continuing the surgery on Swellow right now, doing what Gardevoir left off at," Professor Latrommi said.

"Where is Gardevoir anyway?" May asked as she stopped shaking Ash, "Is it back in that Pokeball in your hand?"

"What?" Professor Latrommi asked, looking down at the Pokeball he was holding, "Oh no, this isn't Gardevoir. Nurse Joy already transported Gardevoir to a different Pokemon Center to perform another operation right after this one. She's a real trooper that Pokemon, I'm honored to be the one who trained it."

"Oh that's too bad," Ash said disappointingly, "I really wanted to thank Gardevoir for what she did for my Swellow."

"Me too, Ash. I wish we could tell it how happy we are," May added in disappointment.

"Don't worry, guys," Brock said to cheer them up, "I'm sure Gardevoir knows how happy people are when she saves lives and performs surgeries. Besides all doctors know that life is precious, and that the patients loved ones are thrilled and relieved once various surgeries are a success."

"I guess you're right Brock," Ash said.

"Brock has a thing for being right most of the time," May giggled.

"What Pokemon is in the Pokeball you're holding then, Professor?" Max asked, changing the conversation.

"Well it's…" Professor Latrommi said reluctantly.

Ash and May looked closer and noticed that the Pokeball had a large dent on the top of it, it had to be Tyranitar's Pokeball.

"Professor…is that your…?" May asked, pointing to the Pokeball.

"Yes it is," Professor Latrommi said, letting out a deep breath, "My Tyranitar was treated and healed in another room here in the Pokemon Center. I transported it over here yesterday, and they restored it to full strength over night."

"How'd they heal it so fast?" Ash asked.

"The damage received to my Tyranitar was the same kind a Pokemon would get in any Pokemon Battle, thus healing battle weary Pokemon is easy to do, nothing like a complex operation like with your Swellow," Professor Latrommi said.

Ash and May stared reluctantly at the Pokeball in the Professor's palm. They both had mixed feelings about the Tyranitar, as they were the ones who battled and defeated it, but were also aware of the fact that the Tyranitar was the one who burned down the forest, nearly got them killed, which also caused Ash a blow to the head and an injury inflicted upon Swellow. Professor Latrommi noticed the two staring at it, he then decided that it was best to put it aside, as he quickly slipped the Pokeball deep into his pants pocket.

"I'm sorry for the pain my Tyranitar caused you. I knew you kids would have mixed feelings about seeing it, which is why I went to see my friend in private when it was fully healed. I'll be taking it back with me to the lab, hopefully able to sort things out," Latrommi said quietly.

"Did…Tyranitar do anything once it was healed though? It didn't attack the nurses or anything, did it?" Ash asked in a low voice.

"No it didn't, the nurses said that my Tyranitar looked more confused than anything after it regained its strength. In fact, I don't think it remembers much about you kids battling it, or about Team Rocket or the burning forest for that matter. I guess which its mind slowly deteriorating, it's also losing its memory as well. I'm not really sure what to do with my Tyranitar, but I will care deeply for it for the rest of its lifespan," Latrommi said, patting his pants pocket.

Ash and May exchanged glances as both of them weren't sure what to say regarding the Professor's Tyranitar. They both felt contempt for the Pokemon for all the pain it inflicted upon them, but at the same time they felt sorry for it, as they knew that the destruction the Pokemon caused wasn't entirely its fault. Ash and May looked at each other one last time, and as if they knew what the other was thinking, they both nodded in unison willing to move on and not dwell on their feelings toward Tyranitar any longer.

Professor Latrommi walked toward Ash and put his hand on his shoulder, "Your Swellow will be fine, son, I know how it is to care deeply for a Pokemon. I feel the same way about my Tyranitar. Once the surgery is finished, go spend some time with your Swellow while it's resting."

"I will," Ash said.

Professor Latrommi nodded, looked away from Ash for a second, and then took one more glance at him. He smiled and removed his hand from his shoulder as he turned around.

"I'm going back to the operating room to see how the surgery is going, I suggest you kids wait back in Ash's room. Nurse Joy will be looking for you there," Professor Latrommi said as he walked off.

~*~*~~*~

Another hour had passed as Ash and his friends were sitting in his room in the Pokemon Center. Brock was sitting on a chair against the wall, flipping through some magazines to pass the time. Max was changing channels on the remote for the overhead TV monitor. Ash was sitting on the side of his bed, touching the bandages wrapped around the back of his head. May stood close to him, watching the TV monitor as Max was changing the channels.

"Eh…these bandages make my head feel real itchy," Ash said uncomfortably, scratching the bandages wrapped around the back of his head.

"You shouldn't scratch them, Ash, they are there for a reason you know," Brock said, turning the page in his magazine.

"Yeah, I just want them to come off already. They've been bothering me ever since Nurse Joy put them on. I really do feel perfectly fine now, even if there is still a big bump on the back of my head," Ash said, scratching his head again.

"Stop scratching yourself," May scolded, pulling Ash's hand down from his head, "You're making _me _nervous when you keep doing that!"

"But…it itches!" Ash whined.

He picked up his hand and started scratching the back of his head through the bandages again.

"I said stop doing that!" May repeated.

"I'm not really scratching that hard you know, it's just really itchy!" Ash said, lowering his hand.

Nurse Joy then knocked on the door before opening it slowly. She smiled at the kids holding a clipboard in her hand.

"Ash, I'm happy to tell you that your Swellow's surgery is finished. We've removed most of the bandages except for a few, but of course your Pokemon is still exhausted. It'll have to stay here to rest for a few more days," Joy smiled.

"YES!" Ash jumped up joyously from the bed, nearly knocking over May in the process, "Thank you, Nurse joy!"

"That's wonderful," May said joyously in a high pitched voice, trying to avoid Ash's excitement before he stumbled into her, "Ash, watch where you're jumping!" she said heartily.

Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms also happy to know that one of its friends had a successful operation, "Pika pika!" Pikachu said happily, laughing in between yelps.

Ash hugged his Pokemon tightly as the two laughed and giggled together. Max was overcome with jubilance just watching Ash and Pikachu hugging on the bed. Brock felt himself overcome with reassurance and was thrilled to see that the operation was finished.

"If you guys want to come see Swellow, you can right now," Joy said happily.

"We can?" Ash asked as he and Pikachu looked at her surprised.

"Yep, but you can't be too noisy. I need you all to be relaxed when you go in, Swellow has been through a lot," Joy said.

"We will, Joy," May said for the group.

~*~*~*~

A few moments later, the group entered the room Swellow was resting in. Swellow was resting on its stomach with a bandage still wrapped around its wing. It was no longer hooked up to the machines in the room either. Professor Latrommi stood on the side greeting the trainers as they walked in.

Swellow spotted Ash immediately as its face beamed. Ash walked over to it, a bit speechless as his eyes watered.

"As Nurse Joy said, Swellow is very weak from the surgery, as well as very tired," Professor Latrommi said, "I'm afraid that after five minutes or so that a few people will have to leave the room, just so Swellow isn't overwhelmed. Don't worry though, you can come back and see Swellow later too."

"We understand, Professor, thanks," Brock said.

Ash and his friends spent those joyous moments with Swellow and with the relief that its injury was taken care of. Ash reminisced with the Pokemon about how it'll be able to take flight and soar the skies again, in which Swellow cracked a smile as a tear fell out of its eye. The Pokemon was as overjoyed as the trainers even as exhausted and fatigued as it was.

A few minutes later, Professor Latrommi and Nurse Joy said that Swellow could only receive two or so visitors at a time, so the Pokemon wasn't overwhelmed by so many people crowding in the room.

"You stay with your Swellow, Ash," Brock said, "It needs you more than anyone else. I'll be heading down to the cafeteria to get a bite."

"Ok, Brock," Ash said.

"Yeah, I'm getting kinda hungry too. I really didn't eat anything all day," May said, rubbing her stomach.

"Um…can I come with you, Brock? I'm really starving," Max said.

"Sure, Max," Brock said.

"Yes, please try to limit the number of people around Swellow for now, it would be a good idea to let it rest for the time being," Joy said, "I have other patients to see, but you guys can go visit your Swellow at anytime."

Professor Latrommi smiled as Joy walked out of the room. "I guess I'll go with you two," he said to Brock and Max, "I hear they make some pretty mean sandwiches here."

"Wanna come too, May?" Brock asked, standing by the doorway.

"Well if I'm disturbing Swellow than I should…" May said as she turned to her friends.

"That's not it at all, May." Ash said, pulling her by the hand back toward Swellow's bed, "You can stay. After all, without you, Swellow wouldn't be here right now. You saved its life, you mean as much to Swellow as I do."

"I guess," May smiled as Ash held her hand, "Are you ok with that, Swellow?"

"Swellow…swell," Swellow said indebted to the girl for saving its life.

"Pikapika," Pikachu added encouragingly, looking up at May.

May picked up Pikachu from the floor and clutched it in her arms. "I want to stay here for, Swellow," she said turning to Brock, Max and Professor Latrommi.

"Want me to bring anything back for you, May?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, a sandwich would be nice…" May said.

"Ok," Brock said.

"…and maybe a bottle of water to go with it."

"Sure."

"…and a bag of chips."

"Alright."

"Oh…and maybe some gummy bears too? I love those fruit snacks, especially the red ones, those are my favorite," May squealed.

"Uh…of course, May," Brock grinned, "I'd hate to think of the waiter taking your order at a restaurant."

"Yeah, sorry for asking for so much," she said, embarrassed as she squeezed Pikachu in her arms.

Brock, Max and Professor Latrommi walked out of the room as Ash, May and Pikachu sat on chairs next to Swellow's bed.

"I'm glad you stayed," Ash said to her, "…for Swellow of course."

"No problem," she said, "I said I'd be staying with you guys until you were healed, remember? I meant that too."

"Swellow…swellow," Swellow said, thanking her.

"And now that your surgery is finished, Swellow, you'll only need to rest here for a few more days to get your strength back up. Then we'll be all like we used to again," May said happily.

"May's right. We won't leave without you, buddy," Ash said. He then started to scratch the back of his head where the bandages were wrapped over again.

May caught notice of him scratching his bandages again and quickly grabbed his arm and pulled his hand down.

"I said stop scratching yourself, Ash!" May reprimanded, holding his arm down, "You're only going to make yourself bleed again."

"…BUT IT ITCHES!" Ash whined again, "Can't I just scratch it just a little bit?"

"No. You're not supposed to be scratching or rubbing your wounds anyway," May said, with a firm grip on his arm.

"Just one scratch?"

"No."

"Even a tiny little one?"

"No."

"Just for a second?"

"NO! Jeez, Ash, I feel like your mother," May bemused.

"Well I'm sure if your head was bleeding and they wrapped a bandage around it, you'd be scratching your head too. You don't know how badly these same bandages itch after all this time."

"Guess you're happy that you only have to have them on for the rest of the day then, huh?"

"Yeah…I guess I shouldn't scratch them anymore anyway," Ash said, looking at her hand holding down his arm. "Uh….May? You know you could…let go of my arm now."

"Hee hee…sorry about that, Ash," May chuckled as she let go of his arm.

"Chu Pikachu," Pikachu said smiling.

Swellow chuckled to itself, happy to have such compassionate and endearing friends.

~*~*~~*

Several hours later in the evening, Ash was sitting on his bed while Joy said that she was going to carefully unwrap the bandages tied around his head. His friends and Professor Latrommi were standing around him. May was happily chucking little red gummy bears into her mouth while holding the bag that her brother had bought for her.

"See, Ash?" May said while biting the head off the fruit snack, "Looks like you don't have to scratch yourself anymore."

"Scratch himself?" Joy asked.

"His head," May replied, swallowing what was in her mouth, "Ash said the bandages are really itchy."

"Oh," Joy chuckled, "Bandages certainly do get itchy when they're wrapped around a wound."

"They're been bugging me all day, Nurse Joy," Ash said, "I'll be glad to have them off."

"OK sit still, I'm going to carefully take off the bandages, but I want to make sure that the wound is closed up, otherwise you could start bleeding again," Joy said.

Ash sat upright on the side of his bed as Joy approached him. She reached over the back of his head and started unwrapping the bandage around his head. She tugged on the bandage from the back of his head and carefully moved it along his forehead as the bandage was tied below his hairline. She went around his head several times until the entire bandage started to loosen and fall off.

"Before I take the whole thing off I want to check your head for a minute, Ash," Joy said while holding part of the bandage in her hand. She went over to the back of his head where he had been struck by the tree branch and gently pressed her fingers against it. "Hmm…there is still a bump there but your wound has healed. As long as you don't hit your head again you should be fine."

Joy then went another cycle unwrapping the bandage that was tied around his head one more time till the whole thing came off. She held the bandages in he hand and went over to the garbage to dispose of them.

"They're off, Ash!" Max happily declared.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"I dunno, Pikachu, even with the bandages off my head still feels a little itchy," Ash said uncertainly.

"It probably is," Joy said, turning back to him.

"Well maybe if I scratch it a little bit…" Ash said, raising his hand before trailing off….

**"NO!" **both May and Joy yelled in unison.

A startled Ash lowered his hand quickly. "Ok, ok! I won't scratch it!"

"I suggest you make sure your friend doesn't scratch his wound. He could cause an infection or get the cut to open up again," Joy said to May.

"Don't worry, Ash isn't going to be doing any scratching while I'm around," May said, grinning proudly.

Ash rolled his eyes as he rested on his bed with Pikachu.

"Can't argue with women, Ash, they always end up having their way," Brock said slyly.

"You're free to leave the Pokemon Center anytime you wish now, Ash," Joy said, "Of course I know you'll want to stay here for your Swellow, but you yourself are no longer a patient here."

"That's good news," Ash smirked.

"I hope you know though that we may need to use this room for a new patient, so you may not be able to stay here if we get some new admissions," Joy said, opening the door.

"That won't matter, Nurse, the kids can stay at my lab again if they need to," Professor Latrommi said.

Nurse Joy nodded and closed the door behind her. May took the last gummy bear from her bag and violently bit its head off before devouring the entire body. She then tossed the bag into the wastepaper basket beside her.

"Professor, I hope you know you have our continued thanks for letting us stay in your lab," Brock said, "I hope it isn't a bother."

"Yeah, you're a pretty nice guy after all," Max said.

"Uh…excuse me?" Professor Latrommi asked slyly, "You kids do know that you're not exactly staying at my lab for no reason."

The group looked at him with startled expressions.

"Oh brother," Professor Latrommi slapped his face, "Don't tell me you kids forgot the reason you're staying at my lab in the first place! You kids destroyed my mechanical arms and a couple of my other machines, remember? You're supposed to be working for me to pay off your debt!"

"What?! You mean after everything that's happened to us you're still going to make us work for you?" May gasped.

"Hey, I may be a nice guy but I'm not _that _much of a nice guy. You kids have rubbed off on me a bit, that's true, but I do kinda need my expenses taken care of. I have shipments of several equipment that I need finished for Devon Corp. And with some of my machines busted, you kids were supposed to be working for me to do their job!"

"Gee, and I thought the only worry left was waiting a few days for Swellow to recuperate," Ash said, falling back down to his pillow.

"We'll work for you Professor until our debt is paid off," Brock said, remembering the deed the Professor gave him by letting him use the second ray gun, "Helping with Swellow's surgery was far beyond our expectations. That alone is worthy of us staying with you until your shipment is done."

"I guess Brock does have a point," Max said, raising his glasses.

"Sheesh," May said wearily as she stared out the windowsill that faced the beach in the distance.

"Hey wait a minute," Brock said as an idea clicked in his head, "Professor do you know anything about that Pokemon surfing race they're having down at the beach a few miles from here?"

"Hmmm? You mean the race where you stand on those surfboard thingies and let the Pokemon pull you by a tether in the ocean? Yeah I know about that, they have that race here about once a year. What about it?" Professor Latrommi asked.

"May, didn't that surfer we bumped into say something about cash being a prize in that race?" Brock turned to her.

May turned away from the windowsill, "Yeah I guess…why are you asking?"

"Well, maybe, Professor, we won't have to work for you to pay off your debt," Brock said, snapping his fingers.

"WHAT? Are you kidding me?" Professor Latrommi bellowed.

Brock quickly darted over to Latrommi and whispered into his ear. Ash, Pikachu, May and Max looked at Brock oddly as he was whispering something to the Professor.

"Professor…you know about that ray gun that was supposed to help me with women? Well…I did use it…and I just thought of something. The thing won't kick in till about another day or so, and where else would there be a great place to find girls than on the beach?!" Brock whispered while covering his mouth.

"What does that have to do with you working for me?" Latrommi said out loud.

"Hey, I'm not finished!" Brock said, pulling the Professor's shoulder down so he could whisper into his ear again.

"What do you suppose they're talking about?" May asked.

"Who knows," Max shrugged his shoulders.

"…and not only that…but if there are cash prizes then we can use that money to pay off the debt in your lab. You won't have to order another batch of machinery from Devon with your own money, we can simply use the prize money to help finance it," Brock continued to whisper.

"Not a bad idea," Professor Latrommi said, "But how in the world do you know you'd win?"

"That I don't….but hey it's worth a try. And I don't want to pass up my opportunity with all the girls in bikinis down there!" Brock said.

"Girls in bikinis? What did you say?" May asked suspiciously.

"Oh…did I say that part out loud?" Brock said, rubbing his head.

"Ugh…" Professor Latrommi said, walking away from Brock, "Your friend here thinks you should enter that race contest that they're having down at the beach next week."

"A race? What are you guys talking about?" Ash asked.

"Are you nuts, Brock?" May said angrily, "We have to wait until Swellow is ready to leave!"

"I know that May, but Swellow will only need another day or two of rest. And we are indebted to the Professor for Swellow's surgery and for well…busting up his machines. If we can win some of that prize money down at the race, it can help pay off all our debt!" Brock said before lowering his voice and rubbing his foot nervously on the floor, "…that and I wanna go before the zapping from the ray gun wears off…"

"What was that last part?" Max asked snootily.

"Oh nothing!" Brock said nervously, rubbing his shoulder.

"His plan is sound…assuming you'd be able to win of course," Professor Latrommi said, "I hear the prize money is quite a hefty sum, and I think they're awarding another prize for the winner as well but I can't recall what it is this year."

"What is the prize usually the other years?" May asked.

"It's mostly stuff for the female surfer I believe…but my memory is a bit hazy," he said, scratching his scalp.

"I dunno about this," Ash said sternly, "I'm more concerned about Swellow now then winning some silly race."

Brock sighed. "I understand, Ash, and it really is up to you. The race they're having doesn't start for another week or so anyway, so Swellow should be ready to come with us."

"But…what is this race even about? We barely know anything about it," Ash said.

"Hmmm…I think I saw some adverts in the lobby about the race they're having down at the beach," Max pondered, "It probably says all the rules and the prize in there. Do you guys want me to go get one?"

"Sure, Max, I guess. Might as well read about it even though we're not totally sure that we're interested," May said, slightly bored with the current conversation.

"Ok, I'll be right back!" Max said, running out of the room.

"Hmmm…I'll have to think about this," Ash said, "I honestly wouldn't mind continuing working for you, Professor, like we were doing."

"For another six days though, Ash?" May said, reminding him, "We did kinda…break a lot of his stuff…remember how our Sceptile and Combusken destroyed those mechanical arms of his?"

"Yeah, I remember that," Ash chuckled, a bit embarrassed.

"I remember that too, good and well I'm afraid," Professor Latrommi said.

Max suddenly ran back into the room holding a little pamphlet in his hand.

"Guys! This booklet says all the rules of the race, and how the Pokemon are the ones pulling the surfboard by the tether and everything!" Max said excitedly, "It even says the prizes!"

"What are they?" Brock asked.

"The winner gets both a cash prize and another prize," Max said, reading through the pamphlet.

"How much is the cash prize?" Latrommi asked.

"Uh…it's...$1000!" Max said.

"$1000?! Wow, people have that much money to blow away on a Pokemon race?" May asked in disbelief.

"Hmmm…that money more or less would be enough to replace my damaged machines. Although the price of my machinery is probably a bit more than 1000 dollars," Latrommi pondered.

"…The other prize is a set of 15 things…they're…uh…" Max trailed off while reading.

"What are they, Max?" May asked.

"Oh…they're only for girls," Max said disappointingly.

"What? Give me that!" May exclaimed, snatching the pamphlet out of Max's hands. Her eyes quickly read through the text until her heart leaped with joy upon reading the prize. "Oh my gosh! The prize is 15 different two-piece bikinis!"

"That's a stupid prize," Ash remarked.

"Stupid? I don't think so, Ash!" May squealed, "Just look at what these bikini's look like!"

She quickly brought the pamphlet next to Ash and pointed to the picture showing 15 different swimsuits with different deisgns.

"The winner will have the bikini's custom made to fit your size…" May said out loud reading from the text, "I haven't had a chance to buy any new swimsuits in months. This is amazing! Do you guys know how good these swimsuits would look on me?"

"Uh…" Max rolled his eyes.

"This is such a great idea, Brock! After Swellow is ready to leave of course, we should try to enter this race!" May squealed, "We'll not only win cash for the Professor but I can get all these nifty new swimsuits as a prize!"

"Aren't you getting a little carried away?" Ash asked, snatching the booklet from her hands, "We've never even tried racing like this before."

"Well there's a first time for everything," May winked.


	20. Gain a feather and lose a chance

**Chapter 20  
****  
****"Gain a feather and lose a chance"  
**  
The next day went by as Ash, May, Max and Brock spent the night in the Pokemon Center. They were lucky enough that no new patients needed the room as they were granted an extra night to rest there. Professor Latrommi returned to his lab, allowing the kids to enter the surfing competition the following week. If they were able to win the prize money, it would nearly reimburse him for all the machines that Ash and May accidentally destroyed their first day there.

The following morning, Ash got fully dressed for the first time since his injury. He firmly placed his hat on his head eager to finally get out of the Pokemon Center and start traveling again. He knew his Swellow needed another day or so of rest, and was willing to give his Pokemon every second it needed to stay at the Pokemon Center to recuperate.

May could barely contain her excitement as she spent the entire previous night and the following morning re-reading the pamphlet about the Pokemon surfing competition. She slept the night in her cot with the booklet in her hands, and spent the entire morning gazing over the photos of the 15 different two-piece bikinis that were given away as the prize. May was ecstatic about swimsuits and their design, she always was since she was a little girl. She had felt disappointed for the past few months as she was so wrapped up in her Contest quest that she didn't spend nearly as much time just relaxing at the beach as she used to. Not only did she love to swim, but she knew she wanted to look nice while wearing a swimsuit too. May briefly recalled showing off her brand new green bikini to Ash and Max back on Dewford Island. Unfortunately for May, she had left all her previous swimsuits with her parents when she returned to Petalburg City after traveling the Hoenn region. She had one sole bikini that she picked up in the Kanto region for a little hot spring visit one afternoon. It was a red two piece that fit her figure well, the top didn't have straps but tied around the back of her neck instead. She got excited just thinking about wearing it again and for the chance of winning so many new ones.

"So guys? When are we going to head down to the beach?" May asked excitedly, hugging the pamphlet against her chest, "After Swellow is ready to leave we should head down there. Since the competition doesn't begin for another week, we have plenty of time to practice the surfing. I'm still not totally sure how this is going to work, or if our Pokemon are supposed to be pulling the surfboard by the tether."

"May, you spent the whole night reading the pamphlet!" Max exclaimed, "Didn't you even bother to read the rules? They're all clearly listed in there, you know."

May blushed and nervously rubbed the back of her head, "Oh not really ,Max, I spent the entire time just reading about the swimsuits. I glanced over the rules but I couldn't stop myself from looking at all those photos of those cute bikinis!"

"You see? This is why I think that I should have been the older sibling," Max crossed his arms slyly, "Obviously being a _girl, _all my sister thinks about is going swimming, yet all the rules fly right by her."

"Hey, Max!" May angrily yelled, "What are you trying to say, exactly?"

"Noooothing," Max smirked.

"I still don't know about this," Ash said as he tied his shoe lace, "I don't like the idea of going to the beach right after Swellow just had his big operation. It just doesn't seem right to have fun while Swellow is still resting here."

"But Ash…" May said disappointingly.

"Swellow should be able to come with us Ash," Brock said, "It'll be able to gather its strength up by tonight most likely. Of course after that its best not to have Swellow exert itself in any battling or anything."

"Definitely," Ash replied, "I'm certainly not going to make Swellow battle again right after his surgery. I'm going to let it rest in its Pokeball for as long as it wants, I don't want to force it back into battling again so soon. Swellow proved to me what being a trainer is all about. We're supposed to be taking care of the Pokemon we capture and sharing a strong bond with them, and if Swellow isn't up to battling for a few weeks or even a month, I'm certainly not going to force it to."

"That's the spirit, Ash," May smiled warmly.

After the group had breakfast at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy informed them that a new patient had been admitted and they needed to use Ash's room as there were few others available. Ash and his friends thanked Nurse Joy for all her hospitality, gathered up their belongings in the room, and decided to make their trek back to the Professor's lab. Ash, May and Pikachu stayed behind to visit Swellow one last time for the day before they had to return to the lab. Joy told Ash and May that Swellow would be able to leave by nightfall in which the trainers were very happy. However, since they no longer had a place to stay in the Pokemon Center, Ash and May knew they had to return to the lab for the rest of the day, and then by nightfall Ash would return and pick up Swellow himself. May was really disappointed in herself that she couldn't keep her promise of staying with Swellow all the way until he was ready to leave. Ash reassured her and told her that he wanted to stay for the remainder of the day as well, but it would only be a couple hours that they would be at the lab while Swellow remained here anyway. May thanked him for cheering her up as the trainers petted Swellow and exchanged goodbyes for the time being. Their faces were teary-eyed as they recalled all the hardships their friend had just went through the past several days. Ash told Swellow that he would come back and pick him up around 6 O'clock in which Swellow chirped agreeably. The Pokemon was just as eager to leave the Pokemon Center as the trainers.

Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder and May started heading back to the Professor's lab. She still had the pamphlet in her hands and didn't take her eyes off it the entire time while heading back. She was in her own little whimsical dream world as she fantasized herself wearing the various bikinis pictured in the pamphlet in her mind. May blushed and giggled to herself as she walked next to her friend up the hill and past the scorched forest. Ash noticed that May could barely contain her excitement, she looked far more excited about the prize than actually paying off the Professor's debt. He chuckled to himself knowing how obsessive May is with her swimsuits.

The day went by quickly as the gang helped the Professor with some last shipments of machinery as a gesture of good will. Professor Latrommi wondered how much longer it would take before Devon Corp. sent him another shipment of mechanical arms that he ordered for. In the meantime, for the first time since they met, the Professor spent his time befriending each of the kids and getting to know them a bit better. Ash shared his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, while May told the Professor about her past accomplishments in the Grand Festival. Max explained how much he idolized his father Norman, the Gym leader of the Petalburg Gym. Brock shared his love of Pokemon and how he wanted to become a great breeder. The Professor seemed quite impressed that they all had their lives set on such positive goals.

Nightfall came about as the sun was setting outside. Ash told the group that he was going to run down to the Pokemon Center and pick up his Swellow. Pikachu didn't hesitate to jump on its trainers shoulder to go along with him. May asked if she could go too but Ash said that it would be quicker if he went alone. As disappointed as she was, she knew she had to give Ash and Swellow some time together alone. Brock and Max waved goodbye to Ash as he quickly ran down the hill.

"Boy, he's got a lot of energy for someone who was staggering two days ago," May said, standing in the entrance to the lab.

"Since he's going to pick up Swellow, he's obviously quite enthusiastic," Brock said.

Brock walked back inside the lab as May continued to stand in the doorway. She gazed down the sea of grass as the red and orange colors in the sky gave the area a harmonious and dazzling atmosphere.

"Hurry back, Ash," she said quietly while leaning against the doorway.

It took Ash around a half hour to make it back to the Pokemon Center, in which the boy was almost exhausted from running so much. After gasping for air with Pikachu near the front desk, he quickly went down the halls searching for Nurse Joy. Unable to find her, he decided to walk back into Swellow's room for the time being. Much to his surprise, Nurse Joy was unwrapping the bandages on Swellow's wings once he got there.

"Swellow!" the flying type chirped.

"Swellow…you look so much better now!" Ash cheered.

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu greeted its friend.

The first thing Swellow did was make a brief flight in the air straight into Ash's arms. Ash hugged it tightly as the affection between the boy and his Pokemon warmed Nurse Joy's heart. Ash was so excited that he quickly ran outside the Pokemon Center with Swellow to see if it was ready to take flight again. The flying type hummed joyously as it took a brief flight in the air in a circular pattern. Ash and Pikachu watched happily as Swellow seemed like its old self. Ash reached out his arm as Swellow landed on top of it.

"I know you're not up to flying very long distances just yet, so I'm going to let you rest back in your Pokeball, buddy," Ash said, reaching into his pocket.

Swellow nodded agreeably as Ash recalled it back into its Pokeball. He slipped the ball back into his pocket contently.

"Well, Pikachu, looks like Swellow is ready to come along with us again," Ash said, happily.

"Pikachu!"

"Hmmm…I think we're going to head down to the beach tomorrow, Pikachu. I guess May and Brock sort of talked me into checking out that surfing competition," Ash said, "I wonder if we'll be able to win it, I don't think the competition will be all that hard."

"Chuuuu…pika," Pikachu said, jumping on his shoulder.

"You know May wants to win because she wants all those new bathing suits," Ash said slyly, "Sometimes I wonder if she wants to try all those bathing suits on to show off on _purpose. _

"Pika pika."

"Well she does look nice in them…." Ash pondered, "Hmmm…come to think of it, I hope I still have my own bathing suit in my backpack. I don't think I'd be able to take a swim without 'em."

A few hours later after Ash let Swellow out again to greet everyone in the lab, May was busy looking through her fanny pack for her two piece red bikini. She was sitting on the side of her bed in the guest room with her fanny pack on her lap.

"Hmm…its gotta be here somewhere," May said while rummaging through her things, "Ah here it is!"

May pulled out the top and bottom of her bikini and rested them on her bed. She picked up the top and stared at it a bit. She seemed somewhat underwhelmed with her current bikini compared to the ones they were picturing in the pamphlet. She still liked it of course, but the others ones seemed so much more impressive.

"I guess this will have to do then. I really wish I didn't leave all my old ones with my Mom and Dad," May sighed.

In the kitchen area of the lab, Ash, Pikachu, Max, Brock and Professor Latrommi were busy discussing their plans for the next day. They were all sitting around the table while Pikachu sat in Ash's lap.

"So tomorrow we're going to head down to the beach, right?" Max asked.

"You guys are, I'm not," Professor Latrommi said.

"Huh? Why don't you come with us, Professor? I'm sure it'll be fun," Ash asked curiously.

"Are you kidding me, boy? Do you honestly want to see me half naked in swimming trunks? I'm afraid that my belly and my hairy chest will scare people away on the beach!" Professor Latrommi exclaimed.

"Uh…good point," Ash lowered his hat over his eyes to hide his embarrassment.

"All I know is you kids better make the best of it there. I need money to help replace the machines _you _broke. If you can win that competition and get the cash, it'll be all the same," Latrommi said, sitting down.

May entered the kitchen area strapping her fanny pack back along her waist. "Hey, guys, what are we talking about?" she asked as she sat down on a chair next to Ash.

"Oh, just that your friend here wants to see a 269 year old man in a pair of swimming trunks," Professor Latrommi scoffed.

"Huh?" May turned to Ash.

"Don't ask," Ash said.

"May, do you still have that pamphlet on you?" Brock asked.

"Of course, you know I love to look at those swimsuits on the pages," May grinned, handing the pamphlet over to Brock.

"Thanks," Brock said as he held the pamphlet in his hands, "Might as well read through the rules myself."

Brock placed the pamphlet down on the table and carefully read through the text for the competition.

"Where were you before anyway, May? We were all sitting here at the table ready to discuss what to do for tomorrow," Ash turned to her.

"Oh," May grinned nervously, "I was in the guest room trying on my swimsuit. I had to make sure that it still fit, you know."

"That makes sense," Ash said shyly, "I haven't tried on my bathing suit yet either, it's in the back of my backpack somewhere."

May clasped her hands as she rested them atop the table, "Is it the black swimming trunks, Ash? That's the only one you still have with you, right?"

"I think so. Unless I have another one in there that I forgot about," Ash smiled.

"That's good, I think you look best in the black one," May smirked.

"Uh really? I didn't know I looked that much differently in my others," Ash scratched his head.

"Well…" May said.

"What are you dense, boy?! The girl is giving you a compliment!" Professor Latrommi slapped his hands down at the table.

Everyone at the table was taken by surprise as the shockwave shook the table upon him hitting it.

"I know it's a compliment!" Ash blurted out, "Sheesh."

"Pika pika," Pikachu said mocking its trainer.

"Max, you still have your green bathing suit, right?" May asked across the table, "Mom told you not to lose that one."

"Yeah I do, May! The first thing I'm going to do when I get to the beach is build a sand castle! I love making those," Max said happily.

"I always found the concept of swimming in a beach or pool to be awkward," Professor Latrommi said, "A bunch of strangers bathing half naked together in a body of water wearing things that can practically be underwear. Human beings truly have no shame."

The group stared at him with a stunned silence.

"Hey whaddya want? It's true," Professor Latrommi smirked.

"Hmmm…" Brock said while reading through the rules, "It says here that people are racing on the surfboards only that they're not actually doing the surfing. Water Pokemon are supposed to pull the surfboard by a tether at the end of it, and as they're swimming in the water pulling their trainers along with it, the trainers have to pull the tether in a certain direction to let the Pokemon know if it has to make a turn."

"Water Pokemon in a surfing competition, that makes sense," Ash said.

"So all the trainers do is to tell the Pokemon when to make a turn?" May asked curiously.

"Well…yes. It's not just a race, but it's also an obstacle course. You'll have to maneuver the Pokemon around obstacles and inbetween buoys to stay in the race. You only have to make it through the course one lap it seems, but there's going to be a heck of a lot of obstacles while getting through it," Brock said, looking up.

"Sounds challenging," May said enthusiastically.

"There is no limit to the number of entries, so it looks like we don't have to register for a deadline or anything. All we need to do is show up with one of those oval surfboards," Brock said.

"But we don't have one of those surfboards!" May said disappointingly, "The one that surfer had in the Pokemon Center was different too. There was quite a lot of room to stand in the middle of it and it was enclosed on all sides but the back. Where are we supposed to get one of those?"

"I assume they have them down at the beach," Professor Latrommi said, "Obviously if they use a special type of surfboard it has to be readily available somewhere."

"Good," Max said knowingly, "In the meantime we can just relax on the beach until the competition starts the following week."

"We should be practicing those days though, we've never done something like this before," Ash said.

"Yeah, Ash is right, if I stand any chance of winning those swimsuits I'm going to have to practice hard for them," May said, clenching a fist in front of her.

"So it's settled then right? We're going to head down to the beach tomorrow for some good practicing, rays and swimming. Everyone ready?" Brock asked enthusiastically.

"YEAH!" Ash, May and Max declared.

~*~~*~

Later on in the evening, the group was passing the time lazily by walking around the lab or walking outside it. Brock, May and Max were inside the lab chatting while Ash and Pikachu were standing outside in the sea of grass gazing at the night sky.

"I sure hope you wake up early tomorrow, Max. We're going to head down to the beach early and I don't want to waste any time," May said.

"Yeah yeah, I know," Max shrugged her off.

"I can't wait to think about all the beautiful girls that I'll meet down there," Brock said daydreaming.

"Hey that reminds me," Professor Latrommi said, "Didn't you want to check out the beach tonight?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Brock asked.

"You know…your zapping," Latrommi raised an eyebrow.

"Zapping?" May pondered.

"OH MY GOODNESS! I forgot all about it!" Brock said panicking, "I may not even have much time left!"

"What…what's wrong, Brock?" Max asked, nervously.

"NOTHING!" Brock said, jumping around nervously, "Oh jeez, I gotta get down there!"

Brock suddenly rushed toward the exit of the lab running as fast as he could. May and Max watched him with confused expressions on their faces.

"What's with him?" May wondered.

"He just has something to take care of," Latrommi said slyly.

"What's that noise?" Ash asked while sitting on the grass.

"Pika?" Pikachu added.

"MAKE WAY, ASH!" Brock screamed.

"What the?" Ash turned nervously.

Brock then ran right passed Ash and Pikachu down the hill at tremendous speed. Dust sprang up into the air in which Ash and Pikachu coughed closing their eyes trying to wave away the dusty smoke.

"Gah, where's he running off too?" Ash gagged from the smoke.

"C'MON C'MON!" Brock screamed while running, "I sure hope there's still some girls down at the beach at this hour! The zapping from that ray gun could wear off tonight! If I don't get there in time I'm screwed!"

~*~*~

After 20 minutes of running, Brock finally came across the beach near the port. He panted for air while leaning against a bunch of wooden crates.

"Let's see now…" Brock said looking around.

Brock frantically ran across the boardwalk looking down at the beach to see if anyone was around. Unfortunately for him the entire beach was deserted. He continued to search desperately for _any _person whether they be male or female just to see if he could find someone. After some aimless running around, he panted a bit as he came across a sign posted on the wall of a store.

"I don't believe this, how can there not be a single person on the beach? Hmmmm….what does this sign say?" Brock wondered, looking up at it.

"BEACH IS CLOSED AFTER 9.P.M." Brock gasped while reading the sign, "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" he shouted.

He sat down on the floor tired and defeated as he shook his head in shame.

"I ran all the way down to the beach just to find out it was closed?" Brock whined to himself, "I guess I took that zapping from the ray gun for no reason then, there are no girls around!"

Brock panted, sitting alone on the boardwalk very disappointed that he couldn't find anyone. He sat there and sulked for a good ten minutes until he decided to head back to the lab empty handed.

~*~~*~

May glanced out of the doorway of the lab as she saw Ash and Pikachu sitting on the grass just gazing at the night sky. She smiled passionately as she decided to join them. She walked through the sliding doors of the lab and quickly jogged over to the spot where Ash and Pikachu were sitting.

"Hey, Ash! Pikachu!" May called out as she ran toward them.

"Hey it's, May," Ash said, leaning back turning to her.

May smiled as she stood next to Ash and Pikachu.

"I was wondering where you were, Ash," she said, sitting down on the grass next to him. She hugged her knees against her chest and rocked slowly while sitting an inch beside him. "I thought that maybe you headed up to the room to go to sleep already."

Ash grinned as he stretched out his legs on the grass. He rested his arms on his legs as he sat upright with Pikachu resting on the other side of him.

"Nope, I thought it would be more relaxing to just sit out here right now. By the way, did you see Brock run out of the lab?" Ash asked.

"Yeah I did. He ran right out of the lab yelling "I forgot all about it!" and ran right passed me," May said.

"I saw him run by me too, I wonder where he was going," Ash said softly.

"Who knows? Maybe he realized that he didn't flirt with that Nurse Joy back at the Pokemon Center. That could be the reason," May jested.

"Heh, maybe you're right," Ash smirked.

Ash and May noticed the unusually quiet atmosphere as they sat side by side just gazing at the night sky and grass around them.

"So…did you find out where your bathing suit was?" May asked to break the silence.

"Yep it's still in my backpack. It's the black one like you said. You seem awfully curious about that for some reason," Ash said grinning.

May cracked an innocent smile and hugged her knees against her chest even tighter. "I was just wondering, that's all. I dunno, you kind of look older when you're in a bathing suit."

"Older?" Ash asked.

"Maybe the word I was looking for was more mature," she said, blushing.

"Uh…and that's because I'm not wearing a shirt right?" Ash asked quietly.

"That…that's not true!" May said shyly rocking her body while holding onto her knees.

Pikachu listened to the trainers contently as it decided not to interfere with their conversation. It rested its head down on the side as it listened to its two friends spend the night talking.

"You seem to be shaking quite a bit even if that isn't true," Ash said while staring ahead at the night sky.

"I'm not shaking! I was rocking my body, I've been doing that since I sat down!" May bantered, "Why would I be so interested in seeing you without a shirt on anyway? I mean just because you're a boy doesn't mean I purposely look for these things."

"OK, I believe you. It's just that you kept bringing it up," Ash smirked.

"Liar."

"Sorry, I don't think so, May."

She panted, "Eh, so says you."

Ash gave her a gentle shove as he pushed her shoulder. May wasn't expecting it and fell over to the side as he pushed her while she was rocking. Ash was a bit taken back that she actually fell over.

May nervously sat back up on her knees and turned to Ash, "You are pushy when you want to be, Ash."

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to topple over. I didn't push you that hard, you know," Ash said innocently.

"Maybe you don't know your own strength, Ash," May said playfully as she pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes, "Just like I didn't know your _hat _could be pulled down so easily."

"Hey," Ash grinned as he pulled his hat back up over his eyes, "I hate it when people do that."

May leaned her body toward him slowly as she rested her hands on his left leg. She stared at him absent-mindedly as the wind blew her locks of hair. Ash looked back at her as if he were waiting for her to say something.

"Tomorrow, Ash," she whispered while leaning toward his face, "Do you think we can practice surfing together? I don't know how to surf, really."

"Maybe I can show you," Ash said quietly as he wrapped his fingers around one of her arms, "If we can get a couple of those special surfboards, maybe we can surf alongside each other. We're both going to enter the race, aren't we?"

She continued leaning toward him as they faced each other, she had her hands pressed down on his leg while his hand held onto one of her arms.

"I hope so," May giggled, "That way even if I don't win you can still win for me and I get all those swimsuits anyway. I mean you're not going to need the swimsuits are you? I don't think you'd look too good in a bikini, Ash."

"No, I don't think I'd look good wearing a bikini either. It'd look uh…odd," Ash smirked, "It'd probably end up falling off me too."

"Hee hee, that's not true, Ash. You can simply tie the straps tighter around your back, that way it'd stay on your…flat chest," May blushed.

"I guess this is why girls get tops for bathing suits and boys don't, right?" Ash winked.

"Yeah, my top fits on me though. Even if it is a little tight and doesn't cover as much as it used to, it still fits me," she said shyly staring into Ash's eyes.

May then cautiously leaned backward and moved herself away from Ash. She sat on her knees on the grass and rested her hands in her lap. Ash didn't know why she moved away, but he thought that it was probably because she was feeling a little awkward discussing her bikini with him. For some reason, Ash felt a little disappointed that May wasn't pressing against his leg anymore, but he shrugged it off nonetheless.

May stared contently ahead of her at the sea of grass while holding her arms underneath her breasts. Ash leaned backward on his elbow, not sure if he should say anything to her. He then caught someone walking toward them out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey," Ash said as he sat up, "Is that Brock?"

"Huh?" May asked, looking ahead of her, "I think you're right, Ash, that does look like Brock."

The figure then became clear as Brock was walking in a moping manner back toward the lab.

"Brock!" Ash called out, "Where did you go?"

Brock turned to Ash while still walking toward the lab. "I just went to check out the beach…but unfortunately things didn't turn out as planned," he sulked.

"Wow, he ran all the way to the beach?" she asked, looking at Ash.

"No wonder he looks tired," Ash said.

Brock walked back into the lab sulking as he headed into the Professor's living quarters. He spotted the Professor sweeping up some broken metal on the floor with a broom.

"Oh hey, Brock. Have any luck with the ladies? That ray gun zapping should have made you a ladies man," Professor Latrommi said, sweeping the broken metal into a garbage pail.

"No, that's what I came to tell you about! I ran down to the beach looking for ANY girls at all and the entire beach was closed!" Brock exclaimed.

"My my, that is a pity," Latrommi said, yawning, "The zapping from the ray gun probably wears off by tonight too, oh well."

"I know that, Professor, and it looks like I missed my chances this time. But couldn't I just get zapped by the ray gun again? This ray gun has no negative affects like the de-aging one, right?"

"That's right, the second ray gun has no negative effects….that I know of anyway," Latrommi said, wiping his eye sleepily.

"So then why don't I just use the ray gun again, tomorrow?" Brock asked, happily.

"There's one problem with that," Professor Latrommi said, smiling, "You know, my two ray guns? Well, I smashed them to the floor."

"WHAT?!" Brock shouted.

"You saw that broken metal I was cleaning up when you entered the room, right? Those were pieces of my two ray guns, I destroyed them both."

"But…why'd you do that?" Brock asked curiously.

"For the simple reason of what happened to my Tyranitar, and what could happen to me. I'm not going to toy with this stuff anymore, stuff that could change who you are or who you want to be. So I decided to destroy the two ray guns, and now I vow never to create something like those again," Latrommi said, walking toward the door.

"But…what about "having all the women" you could want?" Brock whined desperately.

"I'm afraid you'll have to solve that problem on your own," Latrommi smirked, standing in the doorway, "There are plenty of girls out there, I'm sure you'll get one on your own."

Latrommi walked out of the room as Brock sulked while sitting on the floor.

"My one chance and I screw it up. I guess fate really does hate me," Brock shook his head. The lonely Pokemon breeder sulked as his plans for a love life have gone awry once again.


	21. Sunshine!

**Chapter 21 ****  
**

**"Sunshine!"**

Blue skies stretched along the horizon with not a cloud to be seen. White sand covered the beach which contrasted with the navy blue waves that splashed along the shore. The sunshine shone down on the boardwalk which reflected off the wooden walkway. Small stores were lined up where the pavement met the sand. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were walking along the sandy beach or going into the stores to purchase what they wanted. On the other side of the beach were many clubs in which the older crowd could converse and relax in. Many of the people were young couples in swimwear ready to enjoy the beach at their leisure. Various small children were holding hands with their parents, eager to head down to the waves or build a sand castle in the sand. Many wooden picnic tables were scattered along the boardwalk where people were eating their lunch or chatting with their friends. The tables all had large umbrellas attached to the middle that blocked out the suns rays from above. The beach was buzzing and bustling with a lively atmosphere.

Ash, May, Max and Brock stood on the boardwalk as they rested their elbows against the railings, gazing down at the awe-inspiring sight around them. They were all fully dressed in their usual clothes, but all four of them were eager to strip down and head to the beach as soon as possible. The group was so taken back at the festive activities that they agreed to spend the day just relaxing at the beach instead of practicing for the Pokemon surfing competition that was scheduled to begin in another six days.

There were two large buildings that overlooked the beach beside the small busting stores. Since the beach was also part of the port where ferries brought people over from the other side of the mainland, and the very same port that Ash's group used, the buildings were erected to be major hotel suites. Various tourists and other people traveling from port to port would stay at either one of the two big hotels, as the Pokemon Center a few miles down was hardly large enough for the busy community to stay in. Ash and the gang had decided to spend the next several days in the hotel overlooking the beach, which was named, _The Accommodator._

May and Max in particular were so excited to head down to the sandy beach that Ash and Brock had to remind them that they had to request for a room at the inn. The two siblings stared at the beach from the boardwalk with watery-eyes, eager to join the fun. The two appeared to be in a state of bliss just watching people run down to the beach carrying their lounge chairs and their beach balls.

"Maaaaay?" Ash said, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

"Max…we have to get a room at the hotel first," Brock urged the boy by nudging his shoulder.

"This is exhilarating. I must be in some wonderful dream," May said starry eyed.

"I'm so excited I can't budge an inch!" the younger sibling said.

Ash and Brock looked at each other and nodded. They knew the two siblings were in a state of euphoria and wouldn't budge an inch. The only way to head down to the hotel was to carry them along with them. Brock tugged Max by the arm and dragged him toward the hotel as his shoes slid along the ground. Max was in such a dream-like state that he was completely oblivious that Brock was pulling him along with him.

"That's ok, Max," Brock smiled, pulling him along by the arm, "You can admire the beach as we walk."

Brock exchanged a glance back at Ash in order to get him to bring May along too. Ash walked up to May and tapped her shoulder.

"C'mon, May," Ash said cheerfully, "Brock and Max are already heading to the hotel. We better get going too."

May continued starring down the beach in a whimsical dream-like state as if she didn't hear what Ash had said.

"…What…did someone say something? Oh wow…look at how big that wave was!" May said in a high pitched voice, clasping her hands.

"Uh…May?"

"Shhhhh..." she waved her hand at him while still staring at the beach. "I hear you Ash but I don't want a hot dog right now…"

"Huh?" Ash chuckled, rolling his eyes, "You're really out of it right now, aren't you?"

May sighed as her eyes dazzled watching the harmonious activities around her.

"OK c'mon, I'll take you with me," Ash said as he held her arm, "We'll walk together…how does that sound?"

Ash pulled her arm down gently in which her hands slid apart. He tried gently turning her toward the direction of the hotel but May still didn't walk.

"Earth to Maaaay?" Ash said in a mocking tone.

He then held her hand and started tugging her along with him. Finally, May's legs started to move as the girl started walking alongside Ash. She was still staring to the left toward the beach of course, unable to change her gaze.

"At least you're walking now," Ash chuckled as he led her by the hand, "Brock had to tug your brother by his arm while he was still fantasizing about the beach. Looks I gotta hold your hand and lead you to the hotel too."

May finally snapped out of her dream-like state as she realized that Ash was leading her away by the hand. She looked down toward their clasped hands as she felt herself warming with affection.

"Heh, sorry Ash about before," May admitted, "This place just looks so wonderful. Everyone is having so much fun! I can't wait to be apart of it."

"That's why we're heading to the hotel, May. That way we can get a room to stay in for the next few days, change into our bathing suits, and then we'll be all ready to head down to the beach."

"Heh, I think I see Brock and Max ahead of us. My little brother is still drooling over the beach that Brock has to pull him along."

"Well now that you're walking I guess I don't have to hold your hand anymore, do I?" Ash said looking up at her.

May bit her lower lip as she liked it that the two of them were holding hands as they walked. She never really held Ash's hand just for a simple walk before, and for some reason it felt too comforting for her to say that he didn't have to hold her hand anymore. She quickly formulated some words so that they could continue walking hand-in-hand toward the hotel.

"Huh?" May smiled. "It's…it's ok, Ash. I…I might start daydreaming about the beach again and then I…uh…I may just stop walking again! Yeah, and then you'll be walking ahead of me and not notice that I'm admiring the beach and then I'll be stuck all the way back here while you're all in the hotel! I think you should continue leading me by the hand just in case."

Ash squeezed her hand a bit firmer as a friendly gesture. The two smiled at each other as they continued walking.

"Alright then, I better not let go. I may never be able to find you again in this crowd of people."

"Yep, and I'll continue holding your hand too. No biggie right, Ash?"

"Nope, not at all."

The group finally met up again in the lobby of the hotel. Brock went up to the front desk in order to request a room to stay in for the following week. The hotel was rather standard and nothing too fancy, the décor was inviting without being too glamorous.

Ash, May and Max looked around the lobby of the hotel as a lot of people were walking around in their bathing suits. It was easily apparent that most of the people staying at the hotel were doing it for the beach. Brock notified Ash and the others that he had a key to the room which was located on the first floor. The group walked along the open catwalks which were adjacent to a bunch of ferns and flowers that decorated the surroundings. They admired the scenery around them as Brock turned the key into the brown door which was their suite.

"Well guys, this is it," Brock said as he turned the doorknob.

The room had four beds in it against the wall, much to Ash and Brock's delight. Since the Professor only had two beds in his guest room, Ash and Brock were quite pleased that they didn't have to sleep in their sleeping bags again while May and Max got a bed. The room had various simple wooden furniture against the wall, with several cabinets and drawers for them to set their apparel in. There was also one small TV set on the middle of a dresser. A small sink and bathroom was at the very end of the room near an open window.

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu cheered as it jumped right on the bed nearest to the front door.

"Guess this bed is ours right, Pikachu?" Ash said happily.

"This room looks pretty good, I'll say it looks nice and cozy for the time being," Brock said.

May sat down on the edge of her bed which happened to be the one next to Ash's. She slipped her fanny pack off her waist and rested it on her lap. She opened the front and began digging through her bag.

"What are you looking for, May?" Max asked his sister.

"I'm looking for my bathing suit of course. It's not like we have any luggage to unpack, we're always traveling so we always travel light," she said.

"That's true, we do kinda wear the same exact clothes every single day," Max slapped his forehead.

Ash took off his backpack and rested it on his bed.

"May, are you really going to head down to the beach right now?" he asked.

"No, not exactly. I want to check out all those eating areas and clubs they have on the boardwalk. It looked like the people were having a lot of fun there, I want to see what it's all about," she said as she took her red two-piece bikini out of her bag.

"I dunno, May, some of those clubs looked like they served alcohol," Brock said scratching his chin, "You're all underage you know."

"Don't be silly, Brock, I'm not going to drink," May said, stretching out her bikini on her bed, "I would never do stuff that's bad for you like that. I promised my parents that I would always be a good daughter and never do any of those bad things that other people do. I don't want that kind of stuff in my body."

"Yeah," Max added, "Our parents all made it very clear what we should and what we shouldn't be doing on our journey. I'll never do any of that stuff either, it's disgusting."

"You better not, Max," May said, turning to him hastily, "Mom and Dad told me to take care of you, I'm certainly not going to let you get involved with stuff like that. I don't want anyone talking you into doing any of that stuff either, you hear me?"

May walked over to Max and put her hands on his shoulders. May looked into her brother's eyes with a motherly concern. The younger brother looked back at his sister smiling.

"I won't, May. Besides, if anyone bothers me I have my big sister to look after me. Right?" he said affectionately.

"Right. I love you, Max, I'll never let anything bad happen to you," she said, hugging her brother tightly in her arms.

"Love you too, May," the sibling said in return.

Ash, Pikachu and Brock watched compassionately as the two siblings hugged each other.

"Your parents really brought the two of you up well," Brock said.

May and Max let go of each other and turned to Brock and Ash.

"Thank you, Brock," May nodded.

"Yeah, they're very protective of us. Besides, it's not just my big sister who will come to protect me if I need help," Max said.

"That's right," Ash said confidently, "Don't forget that we're here too."

"Pika!"

May smiled, "Ash will always be here for you Max," she glanced at Ash affectionately, "Just like he's always there for me."

"No matter what happens, we're all in this together," Brock said boastfully, "We're a team, and we're going to stick together and protect each other on our journey. That's what friends are for after all."

"Aw," Max rubbed his hair in embarrassment, "You guys are so cheesy."

"Chu pika," Pikachu giggled as it slumped down on the bed.

May walked back over to her bed and pressed her hands down on the top and bottom of her bikini. She picked up the top of her bikini and looked shyly back up at the others.

"So you're going to head down to that club area right, May?" Ash asked once more.

"Yep. I just wanna see what kind of people are there. I might even find out which one of them are surfers who will be in the competition next week. Maybe I can get a head start on our rivals this way, huh?" she said.

"Why are you going to wear you bathing suit there?" Max asked his older sister, "Why don't you just go with your normal clothes?"

"No way Max!" May snorted, "Didn't you see all the people sitting around there? Everyone was wearing a bathing suit, I don't want to be the only oddball walking over there with my clothes on. I'm going to change and then head over there for awhile."

Ash, Brock, and Max continued to stare at her.

"Uh…guys? I said I was going to _change?" _May said eyeing them, "I can't very well take off my clothes with the three of you staring at me."

"Of course not," Brock said walking over to the door, "We'll wait outside while you change into you swimsuit."

Brock opened the door and stepped outside while Max and Ash followed him.

Ash turned to her and said, "Make sure not to take too long, ok? I think I'm going to go head down to the beach in a bit so I want to change too."

"Sure, it only takes about a minute for me to take off my clothes and put on my bikini anyway," she said, "Now go already, I wanna change!"

"Ok ok sheesh," Ash shook his head as he started walking out the door.

"Uh, Pikachu?" May said to the Pokemon resting on the bed.

"Pika?" Pikachu looked up at her.

"That means you too," she grinned.

"C'mon buddy, I don't think May is comfortable with you being in here while she changes either," Ash snickered.

"Chu…" Pikachu said in what could almost be described as a disappointing tone.

Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder as the boy closed the door behind him.

The three boys and the Pikachu stood on the catwalk as various people who were staying in the hotel walked by.

"There's a lot of cuties staying here," a flabbergasted Brock said while eyeing the women walk by, "I think I'm going to like it here."

"I wonder how many people are going to be registering for that surfing competition. I hope it's not everyone here, that would be pretty crazy," Ash said.

"Maybe we should go back to the boardwalk and check if anyone is selling those surfboards yet," Max said.

"That's a good idea, Max, we can't very well please Professor Latrommi if we don't even get a chance to race," Brock said, walking down the catwalk, "You guys coming?"

"Sure. Why not?" Ash said, looking at Pikachu on his shoulder.

"I'm coming too!" Max said cheerfully.

Brock walked down the catwalk with Ash and Max following as they headed back into the interior of the hotel lobby.

May stood next to her bed as she started slipping her clothes off getting ready to change into her dark red swimsuit. She slid off her skirt and shorts first and pulled the bottom of her bikini up her legs. She neatly placed her shorts and skirt in the bottom drawer of her dresser. She began unzipping her red shirt as she picked up the top of her bikini and went next to the mirror which was above the sink.

"Hmmm…maybe I should take off my bandana too. I'd probably look silly with it on while in a bikini," May thought as she undid the tie on her bandana.

She placed her apparel next to the sink as she undid her bra and placed that to the side as well. She pressed the top of her bikini against her breasts as she pulled back the strings and tied them around the back of her neck. She pulled down on the top of her bikini over her curves while staring at herself in the mirror.

"This one has gotten so tight," May said annoyingly as she pulled on the cups of her top, "I really need to win those new swimsuits."

She then moved her hands through her brunette hair and stretched out the locks of her hair to the side, trying to get it to the length she desired.

"This'll do," May smiled at herself in the mirror admiring how she looked.

May was awfully concerned with the amount of cleavage that her bikini's showed off. Although she didn't make it apparent to her friends, she was pretty shy about exposing a lot of skin on her body. Since she traveled in a group of all boys, she never really had anyone to talk to about the clothes or swimsuits she'd wear, something she regretted a bit on her travels. She was happy that her current bikini covered the majority of her breasts to a similar degree that her bras did, and that the bottom of her bikini didn't show too much skin either. Her midriff was quite attractive and was the one part of her body that she usually didn't mind showing off. As outgoing personality wise as May was, she was a very shy girl on the inside when it came to her appearance.

She reached back into her fanny pack and pulled out little slippers that she could wear while walking on the boardwalk. Once she slipped them on and put her fanny pack on her dresser, she decided that she was ready to step outside and see what they had to offer her.

~*~*~~*

"$80??!?" Brock cried, "Who can afford to spend so much money on a surfboard?"

The shopkeeper rested his hands on the counter as he twirled the cigarette in his mouth. He had a fluffy mustache and wore a dirty old baseball cap and run down clothes.

"That's the breaks, kid. These surfboards were specifically designed for the yearly Pokemon competition we have here. If you can't afford one, then I guess you won't be taking part in the race," the shopkeeper said.

"What are we doing to do?" Ash asked.

"We barely have any money to buy food everyday, this is a rip off!" Max yelled.

"Are you insulting my store, little kid?" the shopkeeper raised his voice.

"Uh no, he's just being silly," Brock said quickly as he pushed Max aside, "Here's the $80, we'll take one of those surfboards."

Brock pulled $80 out of his pocket and placed the bills on the counter. Ash and Max looked at him irritably. The shopkeeper snatched the money off the table and went into the back room.

"Brock, are you nuts? That was practically all the money we have on us!" Max said, angrily.

"It doesn't matter, Max, we still have plenty of money left over for food. Besides, this shop is the place that sells the surfboards for the cheapest price. I saw the other shops charging $90 or even over $100 for these," Brock said.

"This is insane," Ash said, crossing his arms, "Whoever heard of a surfboard costing this price?"

"The bad thing is that we only have enough money to buy one of the surfboards. Meaning that only one of us will be able to race," Brock said disappointingly.

"That stinks, May really wanted to enter that race too," Max said, stomping the floor.

The shopkeeper came back out of the room holding the large surfboard in his hands. He put the surfboard on the counter as Brock pulled it off and struggled to hold it against his chest.

"This thing is gigantic!" Ash said, looking at the large surfboard.

The surfboard was well made at the very least which pleased the group for spending so much money. It was enclosed on all sides but the back, which was the side a person would walk onto the surfboard from. The front of the surfboard had a raised pillar which went up to a persons waist, which also had a small circular opening in which the tether could be held onto. The tether extended about 10 feet and was made out of a sturdy rope. On the other end of the tether was a circular opening in which the Pokemon pulling the tether would hold onto around its body while swimming in the water.

Brock rested the huge surfboard on the floor next to them as the others looked at it quite surprised.

"If you're planning on entering the race, I suggest you purchase another tether to go with that one," the shopkeeper said. "You're allowed to have two Water Pokemon pulling the surfboard at once, and both of them have to have their own tether tied around them in order to qualify. Of course if you only want to race with one Pokemon that's fine, but you'll have a much better chance and a greater sense of speed if you have two Pokemon pulling the surfboard in unison."

"How much is it for another tether? Let me guess, $50?" Max said nastily.

"No, kiddo, it's five bucks. I'm not ripping you guys off, you know," the shopkeeper said as he took a puff of his cigarette.

"Hm, that does sound like a good deal. Let me just make sure though, the Pokemon are the only ones who will actually be pulling the surfboard along, right?" Brock asked.

"Yep. The trainers hold onto the tether while standing on the surfboard, otherwise you'll end up falling off the board as you're racing. You can pull the tether in a certain direction through the circular opening in order to instruct your Pokemon whether to make a turn in direction. As I said, the Water Pokemon will be the ones swimming in the water and they will have the other end of the tether tied around their body. The humans just go along for the ride and decide what direction to take, it's the Pokemon that are really doing all the work," the shopkeeper said, "So if you want a better chance at winning, I suggest you purchase a second tether so you can have two Pokemon pulling the board instead of one."

"We'll take it," Brock said as he handed him the money.

The shopkeeper took a package off the rack in which they sold tethers separately in. He tore off the plastic and walked around the counter toward the surfboard.

"I'm going to tie this second tether through the circular opening next to the first one," the shopkeeper said, "The two ropes will be side by side."

He quickly tied the second tether in a knot through the circular opening in the middle of the surfboard. He extended the rest of the tether through the hole and out the end where the other tether was residing.

"That's it," the shopkeeper said, standing up, "You're good to go."

"Thanks," Brock said, "There sure is a lot of room in the middle of the surfboard though where the racer is supposed to be standing. Is there a reason for that?"

"Sure, just like there are two Pokemon pulling the same surfboard via the tether, there will be two people standing on it as well," the shopkeeper said, walking back behind the counter, "I believe it's also required for the two water Pokemon to each be owned by the two trainers. Meaning one Pokemon per trainer, as two people and two Pokemon are racing."

"So two people are going to race together then," Ash said, thinking to himself, "Since we can't afford another surfboard all four of us won't get a chance to race."

"Seems like it, Ash," Brock said, "Now help me carry this giant thing out of the store. I suggest we take it down to the beach and see how well it floats in the water."

Ash nodded as Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and into Max's arms. Max and Pikachu watched as Ash lifted the surfboard up with two hands as Brock held it from the other side.

"Make sure you don't knock anything over on your way out!" the shopkeeper warned.

"We'll be careful," Ash said.

Ash leaned his back against the storeroom door, pulling the surfboard out with him as Brock pushed it toward him. Max and Pikachu walked out the store behind them eager to see if what they spent their money on would be worth it after all.

~*~*~*

May walked down the boardwalk quite enthusiastically ready to get involved with the activities. The dark red bikini made her stand out a bit compared to the other girls who were generally wearing brightly colored swimsuits. She chuckled to herself as she watched various small children beg their parents to buy them surfboards from the store, only to have the parents refuse.

"These surfboards must be expensive," May thought as she walked passed one of the small stores.

Suddenly, a large oval surfboard was rolling down the boardwalk on its side at top speed. May was unknowingly looking through the shop window as the huge surfboard came rolling toward her.

"Watch out! Runaway surf board coming through!" a familiar voice cried out.

"Huh?" May turned around as the surfboard was upon her, "What the hell!?"

The surfboard knocked right into her body and toppled her over. She landed hard on her buttocks as the surfboard rolled to the side and fell down against the wall of the store.

Her face was slightly red from the hit and she was still in a shock of what happened. She sat on the floor rubbing her lower back in pain.

"May?!" Ash called out.

May had one eye closed in pain as she looked up at Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Max.

Ash quickly noticed that she looked fairly attractive in her bikini. Her body was nearly the ideal feminine figure for her current height, which made even Ash take notice of her charms.

"Are you alright?" Max said quickly.

"Ugh, what the heck was that thing?" May asked, annoyed.

"That's the surfboard we'll be racing on, May, it kinda escaped from us and rolled down the boardwalk," Brock said as he picked the surfboard up from against the wall, "I was afraid it was going to end up rolling into someone, much less you for that matter."

"Need a hand?" Ash asked as he lowered his hand toward her.

May nodded as she reached for his hand as he helped pull her up. She finally opened her closed eye and rubbed the side of her face.

"That looks like it hurt," Max said, concerned for his older sister, "What did you land on?"

"I landed on my butt! How does that sound, Max!?" May yelled at him irritably.

Max was worried that his sister was about to hit him that he ducked behind Ash.

"Sorry! It was a stupid question, really!" Max panicked.

May crossed her arms underneath her breasts as she looked at the surfboard they had bought.

"Why'd you only buy one surfboard?" she asked.

"It's all we could afford," Brock said, "A good thing is that two people are allowed to race at once which is why there's so much room to stand on in the middle of the surfboard."

"That's disappointing, that means we'll be less likely to win. If all four of us were racing we'd have better odds, but now that only two of us are, and on the same surfboard no less, I guess we don't have as good a chance to win 1st prize. Guess the money for Professor Latrommi and all those new swimsuits are out of the question now," May sighed.

"We'll do fine, May," Ash said confidently, "We'll just try our best like we always do. And if we don't win at least we had a good time anyway."

"That's true, Ash," May said as she regained her former cheer.

"Besides, I like your red swimsuit a lot anyway. Even if you don't win all those new swimsuits at least you have this cute one," Ash said.

She blushed a bit as Ash had never really complemented her while wearing a bikini before. She lowered her hands to her sides and positioned herself right in front of Ash's view to see if she would receive anymore compliments.

"Thank you, Ash. I never really thought of this old thing as cute before," she said, taking a quick tug at her left cup of the bikini, "But if you say that then it must be true."

"So, how's about we take this baby down to the waves, huh?" Brock said, interrupting the two trainers, "I want to see how well this thing floats!"

"As long as we don't lose grip of it again and let it roll away from us, I agree!" Max said, raising his glasses.

"Are you still going to check out the stores and clubs here on the boardwalk?" Ash asked.

"Yeah I am. I guess I'll come see you guys down on the sand a little later," May smiled, "You guys aren't actually going in the water are you? You'll get your clothes all wet."

"Maybe we should head back to the room and change quickly then," Ash said, "I don't feel like getting all my clothes soaked."

"Cool, then I'll be able to comment on you in _your _bathing suit, Ash," May grinned.

"Hey do I get a comment too?" Max asked naively.

"Max…we grew up together. I think I've seen you in your bathing suit enough times," May rolled her eyes.

"You're a funny big sister, you know that?" Max said teasingly.

"And you're a funny little brother," May leaned forward and winked at him.

The three male members of the group decided to head back to the hotel room to change into their bathing suits. May waved goodbye to them for a few seconds before turning around and heading back toward the stores and clubs on the other side of the boardwalk.

May smiled knowingly.

"Ash called my bikini cute," she said to herself quietly, "Jeez, now I'm wondering if he just liked the bikini or the fact that I was wearing it!"

She shook her head as she stared down at her body.

"I don't think I'll ever understand that guy."


	22. Four against one, fair or unfair?

**Chapter 22 ****  
**

**Four against one, fair or unfair?  
**  
"C'mon, guys, lets get going!" Brock called out.

Brock was in his swimming trunks standing outside the hotel room door. They were blue with a yellow stripe going down the sides. The surfboard was leaning against the wall while Brock placed his arm against it so it wouldn't fall down. He was eager to head down to the waves and see how well the surfboard floats but Ash and Max were taking an awfully long time to change.

Max stepped out of the bathroom door in the suite with his green bathing suit on. He held his glasses in his right hand. Ash was busy looking through his backpack on his bed while Pikachu stood beside him.

"Hey, Ash," Max called out, "Do you think I should wear my glasses down at the beach?"

Ash looked up at him as he pulled his black swimming trunks out of his backpack, "Sure, why not, Max?"

"Remember what happened last time we went to a beach? A big wave knocked me over and I lost my glasses in the water," Max said, looking at his glasses in his hand, "May yelled at me for losing them and went ballistic. Luckily you came over and calmed my sister down and found my glasses in the water. I'm worried about that happening again."

Ash took off his hat and sweatshirt and rested them on the bed. He lifted his black orange striped T-shirt off his body and placed that inside his backpack. Ash turned to Max while he was only wearing his sweatpants.

"I think you should take your glasses anyway, you do need them to see better, right?" Ash asked.

"Well, yeah, but I don't want my sister hitting me again if I lose them," Max sighed.

"Don't worry about that, Max," Ash smiled as he walked over to the bathroom door holding his bathing suit in his hand, "If she gets mad at you I'll just calm her down again. She usually listens to me whenever she gets into a fight with you."

"Heh, thanks, Ash. You sure know how to handle my big sister," Max chortled as he put his glasses on.

Ash turned the doorknob of the bathroom and stepped inside to get some privacy. He shut the door and looked at himself in the mirror. He rubbed his hand gently over the back of his head where he had injured himself a few days before. He still had a slight bump where the tree branch had hit him.

"I hope this will be gone soon," Ash said to himself disappointingly.

He then quickly pulled off his sweatpants and placed them aside. He took off his boxers as he stood in the room completely naked. He rubbed a scratch on the side of his right leg as he pulled his black bathing suit up his body. The bathing suit was a dark black color that Ash, and strangely enough, May seemed to like. He picked up his sweatpants and boxers from the side and exited the bathroom.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu called out as Ash walked out in his bathing suit.

"I'm all ready now, Pikachu," Ash said, "I might as well pick a drawer to put my clothes in though."

"Why don't you just leave them in your backpack like always?" Max asked.

"Seems kinda silly to let all this furniture in this room go to waste though, right, Max?" Ash said, "Since we'll be staying here for a week there's no reason to keep everything stuffed in my backpack if I don't need to."

"That's true," Max replied, "I bet my sister and Brock already chose drawers that they put their clothes in. I kinda left my clothes on my bed."

"I'll just pick a drawer that hasn't been used yet," Ash said while looking at the wooden furniture against the wall.

He decided to walk over to the cabinet with huge double doors in the center of the furniture set. He figured that May and Brock already put their clothes in the drawers from the dresser, so the cabinet should be empty. He pulled on the knobs of the cabinet doors but for some reason they wouldn't open. He tried pulling harder but apparently the doors of the cabinet were stuck.

"Need some help, Ash?" Max asked.

"Sure, this cabinet doesn't want to open," Ash grunted as he tried pulling the knobs one more time, "Stand behind me and try pulling me by my stomach. Maybe the doors will fling open then."

Max complied as he walked behind Ash and grabbed him around the stomach. The two boys pulled as hard as they could so that the cabinet doors would open. Pikachu watched intently from the bed.

"Damn, this thing must be glued shut or something!" Ash grunted loudly.

Max pulled on Ash's body harder, "I think you're right!"

Suddenly, the force of the two boys got the cabinet doors to fling open. The sudden opening of the doors forced Ash and Max to fall backwards on the floor. A bunch of clothing then fell out of the cabinet doors and on top of the boys. They sat up and looked at the clothing on top of them.

Max pulled a red shirt off the top of his head, he immediately recognized it, "This is my sister's!" he shouted.

Ash had May's blue spandex shorts laying on top of his head with something else underneath it. In his lap lay her bandana, her white skirt, and her socks. He moved her clothing off his lap.

"I guess we know which drawer May chose," Ash said disgruntled, looking above at her shorts on top of his head.

"The clothing must have been caught in the door which is why it didn't open, or something," Max said astutely.

"Pika pika," Pikachu laughed on the bed.

Ash pulled her shorts off his head as something else lay on top of him underneath – It was May's bra.

"Pika?"

Ash and Max looked at each other nervously as May's pink bra rested on top of Ash's head. The strap of the bra slid off his hair and dangled in front of his eyes. He looked at the bra strap bewildered.

"Erm...this had to be in there too, you know," Ash said, jumping up nervously as his face turned a deep red of embarrassment. He pulled her bra off his head and looked at it in his hands, "Uh, I don't think I should be touching this!"

Ash stood there nervously scratching his face as Max snatched his sisters' bra out of his hands, "Give me that!" Max said, "That's my sisters and I don't think she'd want you touching it either."

"I know, Max, but it just kinda fell on top of me," Ash shrugged his shoulders as his face was deep red.

Max picked up the rest of her clothing from the floor and held it all – Her red shirt, bandana, skirt, shorts, socks, and bra. The little sibling blushed slightly as he walked over to the cabinet to push them all back in. He pushed her clothing deep into the cabinet and closed the doors, except for the fact that one thing still wasn't inside.

"Uh…Max?" Ash said, pointing at something hanging on the edge of the cabinet door.

"Hm?" Max looked up and saw May's pink panties hanging along the edge of it. "Oh I forgot about this!"

He quickly opened the cabinet doors and slid her panties off the top and threw them deep into the cabinet where her other clothes were. The boy shook his head as he looked maturely at the ground.

"I can't believe you saw that, Ash," Max said maturely, "My sister doesn't want anyone seeing her underwear."

"I wouldn't want anyone seeing my underwear either! Why would she? That's pretty funny isn't it, hey, Pikachu, isn't that funny?" Ash called out nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu cocked its head.

"I guess if you grew up with her like I did you would understand, but she's pretty crazy about that too," Max said, "We're not going to tell her about this, are we?"

"What?!" Ash leaped toward Max, "Of course not! I'm not going to tell her that all her stuff fell out of the cabinet on top of us. I'll just pick a different drawer."

"Make sure it's an empty one this time, Ash," Max insisted.

"Eheh sure," Ash said, picking up his sweatpants and boxers.

He opened the middle drawer of the dresser – which to his delight was empty – and he dropped his apparel inside and shut it. He turned to the side and noticed that May's fannypack was resting on top the dresser.

"I wonder why she didn't put her bag in with all her clothes," Ash said.

"Who knows? I think my sister is crazy enough as it is, no use trying to figure her out now," Max said.

Ash chuckled upon listening to Max's opinion about his older sister. He chalked it up to sibling rivalry and snickered.

Brock opened the door of the suite quickly and peered inside, "What the heck is taking you two so long?" he yelled inside impatiently.

"We're ready! We're changed into our bathing suits!" Ash said quickly.

"Well it's about time, now let's head down to the waves already!" Brock said as he closed the door once more.

"Sheesh," Ash said, "C'mon, Pikachu, let's head down to the beach!"

~*~*~*~

The weather was awfully hot as May walked down the boardwalk, examining the clubs as she passed them by. The humidity made the weather feel well over 90 degrees, which is why it was no surprise that so many people were heading down to the beach to cool off in the waves. May wiped some sweat off her brow as she was quite relieved that she was walking through this heat in her bikini. She knew that had she been wearing her usual tight red outfit and blue shorts, her clothing would be sticking to her body in the blistering sun.

She turned to the left as a particular club caught her eye. The entire place was an outdoor eating area, with only the workers, vendors and bartenders standing in the small buildings taking customer orders over the counter. There were many wooden picnic tables and other small round tables in the immediate area where several people were eating, drinking, or goofing off. She decided to walk over to the outdoor club and browse through what they had.

"These people look like they're enjoying themselves," May said, walking passed several tables filled with joyous conversations, "Most of them look like they're drinking though. Blech, you'll never catch me doing that."

"Excuse me, little girl?" a female voice said quite snobbishly, "Can you get those pretty little slippers of yours off my bag?"

"Huh?" May said nervously, looking around her. She looked toward the ground as her right foot was indeed accidentally standing on the edge of a small green backpack, "I'm so sorry!"

May took two steps backwards as she looked at the people ahead of her. Four people were sitting together on a picnic table, two boys and two girls, with one of each gender sitting on one side. The people appeared to be two couples, who from appearance looked like they were in their late teens or early twenties. The first couple turned around to face her as she stepped on their bag.

"You should watch where you're standing next time, little girl," the dark haired woman said as she picked her bag up from the floor and wiped the side where May stepped on it.

May quickly noticed that the people were all shockingly attractive. The four people were all in bathing suits, and the two women looked absolutely gorgeous. One woman had long dark black hair cascading down her back with a body that would put even a supermodel to shame. She was wearing a tight purple bikini that revealed a lot of cleavage, she was obviously wearing the type of bikini just to show her body off. The other girl – who was sitting on the opposite end of the table – was a blonde with blue eyes, with an equally voluptuous body that would make any guy envy her boyfriend instantly. She was wearing a strapless sky blue bikini that barely even covered her large chest. The two guys, who appeared to be the boyfriend of the dark and blonde haired girl respectively, were also quite attractive from May's point of view. They were tall, well-built, muscular and had hair parted down the middle and went down to their shoulders. The guy sitting next to the dark haired woman had light brown colored hair and a face that looked like it was carved by the angels. His bathing suit was blue. The other guy sitting next to the blonde girl had dark hair that was tied into a short ponytail behind his neck. He wore a pair of brown swimming trunks. The four people continued to look at May irritably.

"Uh, girl?" the light haired man said angrily, "Did you apologize to my girl for standing on her bag?"

"I – did!" May said nervously, "I'm…sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going, I apologize."

"You look awfully young to be walking around a place like this," the dark haired woman said, resting her bag down on the floor, "You're not over 16 are you?"

May was quite shocked that the woman actually mistook her for a 16 year old. While her physical appearance and developed body did make her look like a teenager, she was only a pre-teen girl.

"No…" she replied after a small hesitation, "I'm much younger than that."

"Well then what are you doing here?" the blonde haired woman said irritably across the table, "Can't you read the damn signs?"

"What – what signs?" May said, caressing her hair nervously.

"Wow, she's not even a blonde and you know more than she does," the man with the ponytail said to his blonde girlfriend, "Amazing."

"Oh shut up, Chaz," the blonde woman playfully slapped his shoulder.

"Alright, I promise no more dumb blonde jokes, Eliza," Chaz said, cracking a smile.

May stood there looking at them dumbfounded. She wasn't sure if they were still talking to her or not. She looked down at the other couple, who for some reason were still looking at her with angry demeanors.

"Hello? Brunette girl?" Eliza said again in a mocking tone, "Did you even bother to read the signs before you walked in here?"

May began to open her mouth before the dark haired girl answered for her.

"Don't be silly, Eliza," the dark haired woman known as Precita said, "She's just going to say "What signs?" again. It's in her nature, you can tell how insecure she is just by looking at her."

"Ha, you're right babe," the light haired boyfriend said, smiling at her.

"Aren't I always, Dan?" Precita said in a know-it-all tone.

May found herself slightly miffed that the four people seemed to be making fun of her. She didn't know what to say.

"Brunnette girl, the sign in the entrance to this club says that you have to be at least 18 years of age to enter. Since you don't look any older than 16, it's obvious that you're too young to be in here. They serve drinks here, you know," Precita said glaringly.

"I didn't notice that," May said in a friendly tone, "Thanks for telling me though, I wasn't going to buy any drinks anyway. I was just looking around."

"Little girls like you shouldn't be walking into places that are for people nearly twice your age you know," Dan said mockingly, "Why don't you just scoot yourself out of here now like a nice little girl?"

"Oh don't be so rude, Dan," Chaz said from across the table, "She just made an honest mistake of pure stupidity. We all make mistakes of stupidity sometimes don't we? Just like she was stupid enough to step on Precita's backpack and not notice it."

The table erupted with laughter that lasted a few seconds. May found her eyes twitching and her face growing red from embarrassment.

"Hey, brunette girl!" Eliza called out after pushing aside her glowing blonde hair, "Do you have a name or are we going to continue referring to you by your hair color?"

May hesitated as she didn't want to reply to a group of people who seemed to enjoy mocking her. Nevertheless, May's sweet and naïve personality prevailed as she wanted to make up with the group of two couples.

"It's…it's May," she said shaky as she clasped her hands in front of her body, "My name is May."

"We heard you the first time, May, you don't have to repeat your name to us twice," Chaz said annoyingly as he rested his face on his elbow on the table.

Precita turned around at the table and stared at May in her dark red bikini. She rolled her eyes and scratched her face.

"That's a pretty tacky bikini you have there," a cheeky Precita said, "You actually think you look good in that?"

May looked down at her body nervously. She placed her hands at her sides and nodded insecurely.

"She sure won't win any beauty awards from me," Dan said, cracking a few laughs, "She surely can't compare to your beauty, Precita."

Precita smiled as she stood up from the table and walked up in front of May. May backed up a bit as Precita was quite a lot taller than her, she looked nearly 5'9". Precita placed her hands on her hips as she thrust her voluptuous body toward her. May looked at her quite confused as the purple bikini barely covered her chest as it is.

"Where'd you get that tacky old bikini anyway?" Precita asked snobbishly, "The dark red color looks nice but it looks way too conservative. You should try exposing yourself more, you'll get more attention from boys that way too."

"Well…it's an old one of mine," May replied timidly, "I…don't wear swimsuits to show off though, I don't want myself looking like I'm about to fall out of my top."

"Heh," Precita said chuckling to herself as she walked back to the table with her hands on her hips. She turned around and sat on the top of the picnic table and placed her feet on the long wooden seat, "It's typical of a young girl like yourself to say that. Your breasts fit your stature well…May is it? You do have a fairly nice body I'll admit, but you're never going to get anywhere wearing a bikini like _that." _

May blushed and closed her hand near her mouth, "I don't really care. I'm not interested in showing off, I'm not that kind of person."

Precita laughed mockingly, "So it seems. You should plan on investing on some new bikini's someday though."

"I am kinda planning on entering the Pokemon surfing contest that's coming up next week," May said, scratching her shoulder demurely, "I hear the prizes are some money and various swimsuits."

"WHAT?" the group said in unison looking at her with stunned expressions.

"What is it? What did I say now?" May asked nervously.

"You're planning on entering the surfing competition, little girl?" Eliza asked, slamming her hands down on the table, "Are you nuts? The four of us are entering the very same competition!"

"You are? You mean you're all surfers?" May asked unsurely.

"No, genius," Dan said flicking his hair, "We don't know a thing about surfing, but that doesn't matter. All we need is our surfboard and our water Pokemon, and that'll be enough to get us through the race."

"I have news for you, kiddo," Chaz snorted, "If you plan on entering that race then you're going to get absolutely creamed."

"We'll see about that!" May said in a competitive tone.

"I think you need to open up those pretty sapphire eyes of yours a bit more, miss May," Precita said, pushing her hand through her dark black hair, "You're going up against the four of _us, _not some average folk. We've practiced for this race quite a bit and we're all going to look darn sexy while doing so, right, Dan?"

"Right babe," Dan replied, pulling Precita off the table and making her sit on his lap, "We're going to pull off all the right moves and win with our sex appeal."

Dan hugged Precita tightly around the torso as she sat on his lap facing May.

"Same with us, right, Chaz?" Eliza said flicking her blonde hair.

"You betcha. This little brunette haired girl won't stand a chance, what was her name again? Maya or Maple or something?" Chaz asked.

"May," May uttered unsurely.

Chaz looked up at her irritably as if she had insulted him by saying her own name.

"Did I ask you, brunette?" Chaz replied angrily, "I was asking my blonde bombshell of a girlfriend, not a dimwitted, small little girl like you."

"Oh Chaz you're such a tease," Eliza chuckled.

"Why are you guys acting like such jerks?" May finally blurted out, "Is this all because I accidentally stepped on Precita's bag?"

"No," Precita said rubbing her boyfriends face, "That was the part of it, the other parts were "A," acting like an idiot by walking into a club like this at your age, and "B," actually being stupid enough to think that you can beat us in the Pokemon surfing competition."

May felt the anger swelling up inside of her, apparently being friendly with this group of people was out of the question. She turned around angrily and started walking away.

"By the way, May," Precita called out, "Do you even have a partner for the race?"

May stopped in her tracks and turned around irritably, "What are you talking about? Why would I need a partner?"

"Like hellooooooooo?" Eliza said caressing her blonde hair, "You didn't actually think you'd be racing by yourself did you? Why do you think we're already paired up?"

"Huh?" May asked.

"This race requires two people per surfboard, which is why we're entering as couples," Chaz said, putting his hand on Eliza's shoulder, "What kind of dumbass would actually plan to enter a competition without knowing all the rules?"

May had tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She tried to hold her rage and frustration back by crossing her arms underneath her chest. She knew that nobody here was going to back her up, not even the people sitting at the other tables. She looked timidly around her as she noticed that quite a few other people were listening in on their conversation, and they all stared at May with mocking and grinning expressions as well. She bit her lower lip and quickly wiped a tear out of her right eye, she was being made a spectacle of in front of nearly thirty people.

"Awww…honey don't be breaking down into tears on us," Precita said, getting up off of her boyfriend's lap and sitting back down on the wooden seat, "We're just trying to be competitive. I mean surely you know how people act when they're all trying to win a prize."

"Better go get yourself a partner real soon," Dan said, cracking a smile, "Otherwise you'll be canon fodder before we even start the race. But seeing as how you're just a frail little girl to begin with, you may have trouble finding someone who wants to race with you!"

The table again erupted with laughter.

May grinded her teeth and looked at the ground. She felt like shouting out an insult toward the couples, but knew that it would only cause her to get into more trouble. She hastily turned away from the people at the table and started walking out the club the same way she came. She was walking next to the picnic table that the couples were sitting in when all of a sudden she felt herself trip over something.

"GAH!" May cried as she fell down to the floor.

Her arms were only half out when she tripped, and in doing so the pain shot through her body as soon as her arms made contact with the hard ground. She was laying on the floor face first, with her arms protecting her face. The pain continued to circulate through her arms as she started to lift herself up. They had a few scrapes from the fall as a trickle of blood emerged from her arm.

May looked up to see what she tripped over, only to see that Eliza – the blonde haired girl – had stuck her leg out deliberately to make her fall.

"Did you do that, Eliza?" Precita asked, "Nice one."

"Thanks," Eliza replied in a sassy tone.

The table erupted with laughter yet again, mocking the young trainer for falling.

May rubbed her arms irritably as the pain started to subside. She looked at Eliza furiously.

"What the hell did you do that for?" May yelled.

"No reason really, just to prove that you're going to take a fall to us in the race. Yep, you've fallen to us now and you will fall to us in the future," Eliza replied, "Now go run off crying to your mommy little girl, make sure you at least know how to do _that _correctly. That way you'll prove to us that the space between your ears is at least filled with _something." _

The entire club burst into laughter. Not only were the two couples enjoying making a spectacle out of May, but everyone else around her laughed mockingly as well.

May grunted angrily and darted out of the club as fast as she could. Defeated, discouraged, browbeaten, frustrated, and oppressed she could no longer stand the ridicule and pain that the group had caused her. Filled with contempt and the feeling of being worthless, she frantically ran down the boardwalk trying not to bump into people on her way. She just had to get away, get as far away from the humiliation at the club as possible.

She felt her tears cascading down her face as she nervously tried to brush them away. She rubbed the side of her right arm where it was still slightly cut.

"Those guys were assholes," an infuriated May thought to herself, "Why couldn't I stand up for myself? Why did I even continue to stand there while they were ridiculing me?"

She ran to the other side of the boardwalk before she finally ran out of breath and had to make a stop. She sighed as she leaned her back against the wall of a store which was away from the crowd of people walking along the boardwalk.

"Damnit," May whined, wiping the last tear drop away. Her frustration finally caught up with her as her anger replaced her sadness, "Nobody in that entire club cared, they were just laughing in the background as those four people made fun of me."

She wiped the small blood around the scrapes on her arms away. Her arms still had cuts, but it was nothing that wouldn't heal in about a day. She folded them against her chest, as she recalled Precita making fun of her bikini and calling it tacky as well as the comments made about her body.

"I'm glad the others didn't see that," May sighed as she started walking again, "I'd feel so ashamed if my friends knew I let them tear through me like that."

~*~*~~*

Ten minutes later, May was walking aimlessly along the boardwalk with her face facing the floor. Her frustration and rage calmed down a bit but she was still irritated. She was angry at herself for not standing up to those bullies more so than for what they insulted and belittled her about.

She stood in front of a small pebble that was on the boardwalk. She sighed, and gently kicked the pebble ahead of her. She then heard a familiar voice.

"PIKA!"

"Pikachu?" May asked, surprised as she looked up.

The small electric mouse ran up to her and smiled. She looked at the Pokemon affectionately as its trainer walked into view as well.

"Ash!" May said as if she was startled.

Ash stood before her with his hair and bathing suit wet. It was clear that he just came up from swimming in the beach.

"I was looking for you, May," Ash said happily, "We all went down to the waves and tested out the surfboard, it was great! We didn't actually use any of our water Pokemon to pull along the surfboard, but we sure had fun trying to balance on it. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu replied.

May smiled and lowered her arms upon meeting her friends – Ash and Pikachu – a human and a Pokemon who she knew would always be there for her.

"I'm…happy to see you, Ash…Pikachu," May said, looking at them affectionately.

"You don't look too happy," Ash said in a concerned manner, "Did you check out any of those clubs like you wanted to?"

May sighed as Ash noticed her body twitch.

"Yeah I did, there was nothing too interesting. I'm fine otherwise though," May muttered under her breath.

"Uh, are you sure? You don't seem as upbeat as you usually do," he said.

May timidly looked at Ash in the eyes. From the way her eyes started to wobble, he knew that something was troubling her. There was a slight moment of silence before Ash spoke again.

"C'mon," Ash said as he reached his hand over to her, "Pikachu and I are going to head back down to the water so we can swim again. Brock and Max are still there playing, I came up to the boardwalk to see if you wanted to join us."

"Really? You came all the way back up here just for me?" May asked.

"Of course, we shouldn't all be having fun while you're not. There are a lot of big waves down at the beach right now too, we can swim together if you want," Ash said tenderly.

May smiled, reaching out her arm allowing Ash to take her hand.

"Pikachu, chu pika!" Pikachu said happily as it started running back toward the sand.

Ash returned her smile as he led her by the hand walking toward the beach. May beamed with confidence as she held his hand tightly with reassurance.

May thought to herself, "At least I know one thing…my friends will always be there for me…"

She looked at him affectionately as they ran down the beach hand in hand.

"…especially Ash."


	23. Brock strikes gold?

**Chapter 23  
****  
****"Brock strikes gold?"  
**  
"Stop it, May!" Max yelled out.

"Oh c'mon, Max, don't be so scared of the big waves," May said, clutching her little brother in her arms.

"Nononononononono!" Max bantered.

May was holding her brother against her body as she moved further and further out to the waves at sea. Her hands were holding him tightly underneath his armpits as the little brother struggled to get out of his sisters' arms. She had a naïve smile on her face as a huge wave started forming in front of them.

"May, are you crazy!" Max yelled, "That wave is huge! I told you I didn't want to go this deep into the water!"

"Don't be such a crybaby, Max, I'm right here beside you," May said, looking at the wave with anticipation, "I'll never let you go in the water…you know that."

"I'm scared! Just let me swim back to the shore before it's too late! Please, sis!" Max whimpered, rubbing his nose against his sisters' chest.

"Hold onto me tightly, Max, this is going to be a big one!" May squeaked.

The huge wave was about to crash down upon them. The two siblings treading water could feel themselves starting to lose their balance. Max continued to squirm in her arms trying to break free, but she held him with all her might.

"LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO!" Max cried, struggling to break free.

"THIS IS IT!" May screamed with joy.

The huge wave crashed down upon the two siblings, sending them underwater in different directions. The force of the waves violently ripped Max apart from his sister as he spiraled in another direction toward the shore. May felt the undertow of the waves starting to pull her back out to sea, but the feisty young female swam quickly to break free of its hold. She quickly kicked her legs back and forth, swimming underwater until she saw her brothers' skinny little legs kicking from above. The girl quickly swam beside him and clutched her brother in her arms.

"Heehee, wasn't that fun, Max!?" May squealed, squeezing her brother in her arms.

Max continually spit saltwater out of his mouth, unable to respond to his sisters' question. He held his glasses in his right hand as he was lucky enough not to lose them in the water. With her brother safely back in her possession, May began to slowly tread water back to the shore.

"This is disgusting, I hate the taste of saltwater!" Max whined, rubbing his arm over his lips.

"I don't think anybody likes the taste of saltwater," May giggled.

May finally got close enough to shore that she was able to stand on the sand. She loosened her grip on Max as she gently lowered him to the ground once he was able to stand in the small waves as well. Max finally moved out of his sisters' arms and looked at her irritably.

"I hate you, you know that?" Max crossed his arms.

"For what?" May asked snootily.

"You know what, I told you I didn't want to go that deep in the water! I could have drown when those waves knocked me out of your grip," Max yelled.

"Do you think I'd really let my little brother drown? You're such a worry-wart, Max, I swam to get you as soon as I saw you."

"You said you'd never let me go in the water, but I ended up with my head submerged underneath the waves with a bunch of icky saltwater in my mouth!"

"Heh, sorry about that, Max. I tried to hold onto you as best I could but that wave really was just too strong."

"That's the last time I play with you in the water. From now on, I'm just going to stay on the sand and make sand castles like I wanted to."

May sighed. She really wanted to play with her brother so that she could forget about the embarrassing incident on the boardwalk. She wanted to feel loved by her own flesh and blood, and not feel worthless after being humiliated in front of an entire group of people.

"You gotta admit though, Max," May said, smiling at him as she walked ahead of him, "You had fun, right?"

"Huh?"

"Don't lie now," May winked.

Max rubbed his toe innocently in the sand underneath the water.

"I…did," Max blushed, turning his head away shyly.

May giggled, she knew how much her little brother loved playing in the waves even though he wouldn't admit it. Ever since they were children with their parents, Norman and Caroline, Max was always scared about going into the deep water. May would try to help him overcome his fear by bringing him in the deep water with her, but he would always get upset when the big waves knocked him underwater anyway. To this day, Max preferred swimming in pools or lakes without any huge waves knocking him over.

"I'm going to start digging in the sand now, and you better not kick over my sand castle, May!" Max instructed.

"I won't," she replied, standing in the water which went up to her belly button.

"I hope I can trust you," Max said before he quickly darted to the shore and plotted himself down near a clear patch of sand up on the beach.

May sighed as she looked at her arms and brought them close to her face, she could still see the small cuts and bruises that she obtained when Eliza tripped her back in the club on the boardwalk. Her eyes began to water as she tried to bury the fact that she was humiliated deep within her mind. She had thought that playing with her little brother in the water would help take her mind off that dreadful moment in the club, but she was unable to push it out of her mind completely. The horrible moment kept creeping back. She turned around and started heading deeper into the ocean.

"Pikapikachu!" Pikachu said, running up toward Max.

"Hey, Pikachu, wanna help me build a sand castle?" Max asked happily.

"Pikachu!" it replied eagerly.

"OK, follow me!" Max said as Pikachu sat beside him and started digging in the sand.

Brock stood next to the surfboard which was floating in the shallow water. He rubbed his chin as he looked around him.

"I wonder where Ash went," he said looking around, "He was standing over here a moment ago."

May kicked and splashed the water as it now reached up to the top of her bikini. The waves were small and weak where she was, she didn't have any trouble standing or moving. Suddenly, she felt a force pull on her legs underwater which caused her to dip below the surface.

"Gah!" May yelled as she felt someone holding her legs beneath the waves.

The force continued to tug, only that it seemed more playful in manner.

She quickly brought her head back to the surface as she looked at her aggressor – it was Ash. The two friends laughed at each other and shared friendly gestures.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?" Ash grinned as he took her hand.

"Heehee, where'd you come from, Ash? You scared the living daylights out of me when you pulled me underwater!" May giggled.

"If I said I was coming that'd ruin the surprise…c'mon!" he said, leading her by the hand deeper into the ocean.

The two trainers happily held hands as they would stand up against the force of the waves together. Some waves were larger than others, some would only bump against their faces, while others would completely submerge them underwater for a few seconds. May wrapped her hands around Ash's arm as they prepared themselves for a colossal wave in the distance.

"This is a lot more fun with you than my brother," May teased, "He keeps getting scared every time a huge wave comes."

"Maybe he's just worried about losing his glasses in the water after being knocked down by a wave," Ash said as she clung to his arm, "That's what he was worried about back when we were changing into our bathing suits in the hotel room."

"I never really thought of that," she said quickly, pulling her wet brown hair out of her eyes, "I should tell him to leave his glasses with Brock before he heads to the water then. Did he say anything else to you, Ash?"

"Just that he thinks you're going to go ballistic on him if he loses his eyeglasses in the ocean," he said winking at her.

May's face grew red once more, "Oh, he still remembers last time, doesn't he…I really lost my temper that time, didn't I?"

"Yep…and you know what else?" Ash said as he turned to her.

"What?" May asked as she looked at him.

"The wave is here, that's what!" Ash grinned as he pulled away from her and swam toward the shore.

"Wha?" May looked nervously as the wave was upon her, "Ash, I'll get you for that….!"

The wave came down upon the girl as she was flung underwater. Ash was caught by the remainder of the wave as he wasn't able to get back to shore on time. Brock watched from the shallow water as May caught up to Ash and started pushing his head underneath the water playfully.

"That was a mean trick to pull, Ash Ketchum!" May said teasingly as she pushed down on his wet black hair.

Ash gasped as he brought his head back up and spit some salt water out of his mouth.

"At least I got you to fall for it," Ash snickered.

May tried to push his head down underneath the water again until Ash grabbed her hands to pull her away. Their hands were clasped together with their arms raised high, as they were both standing a few feet apart trying to push each other over in the shallow water. The two friends grinned competitively at each other trying to use their arm strength to push the other to the side. After some more friendly antics, and another wave or two, Ash and May decided to head back up to the sand.

"Nice to see you cheery again," Ash said while walking ahead of her.

"Cheery? I'm always cheery!" May said.

"I meant when you were standing on the boardwalk, you looked a little sad for some reason."

"Oh…well…" May said timidly.

"Hey, Brock!" Ash called out, "Do you think we should finally test surfing with our water Pokemon?"

May was relieved as Ash apparently changed the conversation. She walked up beside him as they both stood in front of Brock.

"Are you sure you want to start practicing so soon, Ash?" Brock asked, "I thought we were taking a day of rest before practicing for the competition."

"Why not? It's not like its actual work surfing on that thing, and I'm sure our Pokemon would enjoy it too," he said.

"I agree with, Ash," May said modestly, "We really should start practicing."

"Alright then," Brock said, "I think there was a separate section of the beach reserved for people who are practicing for the surfing competition. There should be other people surfing with their Pokemon there too, so we can watch other people doing it and learn from them."

"So let's get going!" Ash cheered ,striking a fist in the air.

He started marching without a care in the world pulling the surfboard along by the tether in the front.

"Wait, Ash, don't you think you're forgetting something!" May called out.

Ash looked back at her confused, "Like…?"

"Our Pokeballs, Ash," May said sarcastically, slapping her forehead, "We don't have our Pokemon with us! How are we supposed to practice if we all left our Pokeballs back in the hotel room?"

"She's right about that, Ash," Brock laughed.

"Gee, I forgot about that," Ash said, scratching the back of his head.

May looked at him annoyed as she watched him continually scratching his head.

"Ash!" May yelled out again.

"What is it now?" Ash asked annoyed.

"You're scratching yourself again!" May said angrily, "Nurse Joy told you not to scratch yourself where you hit your head, remember?"

Ash lowered his hand and his face went plain.

"Great," he muttered under his breath.

Brock smiled as he looked around him watching various people in swimsuits walk along the beach. A glimmer appeared in his eye as he spotted two attractive looking girls wearing nice bikinis' appear on the boardwalk which overlooked the beach. The two girls were chatting innocently together and giggling while resting their arms against the railing and watching the people swimming in the water.

"My ship has finally come in!" Brock shouted happily.

Ash and May looked at Brock as he appeared to have hearts in his eyes. Brock had his hands clasped as a slight blush appeared across his face.

"I knew that coming to the beach would be a great idea!" Brock said happily, eyeing the two girls from afar.

"What are you saying, Brock? You're squealing like a little girl," May said.

Ash and May watched dumbfounded as Brock scurried up the beach as fast as possible to get up to the boardwalk. He was able to keep a level head most of the time, but when he saw a beautiful girl, let alone two beautiful girls, that was another story.

"So then I left him, he was such a jerk anyway," a green haired girl said.

"You did good you know. Some guys can be just pigs, I wish I could find a guy who was romantic and charming without only thinking about himself," a red headed girl responded, "I'd like a guy who would do _anything _for me, without thinking about the dirty deed."

"WELL HELLO LADIES!" Brock shouted as he approached the two women and kneeled before them.

Brock looked up at the two girls which nearly made him bust a gut due to their attractiveness. One girl had long green hair down her back with an innocent smile and an orange bikini. The other red headed girl had her hair down to her shoulders, she was wearing a white bikini. The two girls looked at Brock confused as they huddled together.

"Can we help you with something?" the green haired girl asked nicely.

"Yes…you can!" Brock stood up and approached the girl as fumes came out of his nose, "I dunno…is it hot out here or is it just you?"

"Well it is over 90 degrees…" the green hair girl laughed as she sweat dropped, "What do you think, Tana?"

Tana grinned as her red hair blew in the wind, "I dunno, Jamie, something tells me this guy digs you."

"You do?" Jamie asked smiling.

"But of course my cupid, why would I deny a vision of loveliness when I see one?" Brock said, clasping her hand, "I think fate must have brought us together!"

Jamie blushed and looked at her friend. She raised her eyebrows trying to imply something about Brock to her friend.

"Of course your friend here is also quite a beauty," Brock said, shifting his gaze to the other girl, "To see two gorgeous girls like yourselves on the beach all alone is a crime!"

"Now I think he's really into you, Tana!" Jamie laughed.

Ash and May watched Brock flirting with the two girls from below on the beach.

"I'm not stopping him," May said, "I don't have the energy to run up there and stop him from making a fool of himself."

"Too bad Max is not around, huh?" Ash chuckled.

Tana smiled and put her hands on Brock's shoulders.

"So whaddya say, Jamie? Wanna keep him?" she asked alluringly.

"And I also consider…." Brock suddenly stopped the compliments as soon as what the girl said registered in his mind, "Huh?"

He stepped back timidly as Jamie approached him as well and clutched his arm.

"He looks pretty well-built too, just look at this muscle," Jamie said seductively, stroking Brock's chest.

"Hehe…hey now!" Brock exclaimed, a bit taken back, "Are you two actually being serious?!"

"Why not?" Tana asked, holding his right hand, "You came onto us first, didn't you? I think we'll take you up on your offer."

"Besides, you're pretty good looking yourself," Jamie said, pressing against his arm.

Ash and May looked up with shocked expressions. Could Brock really have found two girls who return his affection?

Brock felt one of the girls feel up against his leg in which he nervously jumped backward out of their grip. He stood three feet away from them as he panted nervously.

"You two really _are _serious, aren't you?" Brock gasped, "I mean…whatcha…and I just...and you did…and you touched…and I…what the!"

"Don't be so nervous," Tana said, walking up to him, "You're too tense. The way you sound it's like you've never been with a girl before."

"Yeah," Jamie added, "Are you not used to girls responding to you or something? Kinda hard to picture, since you're such a hunk."

Brock's jaw dropped to the floor. His head was spinning as he felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

"Me…a hunk?" Brock gasped, drooling with saliva dripping out of his mouth.

"What did you say your name was?" Tana asked.

"I…I didn't….the name is Brock!" he said sternly.

"I'm Tana."

"And I'm Jamie."

"Uh…nice to meet you two," he said nervously.

"Brock…that name sounds familiar from somewhere," Jamie said, scratching her chin, "Isn't that the name of someone from the Kanto region?"

"I used to be a Gym leader in Kanto," Brock said, "That's probably where you heard the name from, I was the Gym leader of the Pewter Gym!"

"OH WOW, YOU'RE A GYM LEADER?!" Jamie and Tana shouted in unison.

"TELL US ALL ABOUT YOURSELF!" Jamie squealed, grabbing his left arm and looking up at him in a fangirlish manner.

"TELL US ALL ABOUT THE GYM LEADER LIFE!" Tana squealed, grabbing his right arm.

"It's kinda a long story…" Brock tried to say.

"You can tell us over a swim, Brock!" Jamie squealed clutching him.

"That's right, wanna go for a swim, Mr. Gym leader? We can go down to the waves together if you want," Tana said, stroking his arm.

"Both of you?" he asked.

"Sure, we come as a packaged deal. You either take us both or you don't take either of us, we come as a set!" Jamie grinned.

"Wow, I think I just hit the jackpot!" Brock shouted.

"C'mon, Brocky, show us how well a Gym leader stands up against those waves!" Tana said, pulling on his arm, "You're a Rock type Gym leader aren't you? You're not afraid of the water, are ya handsome?"

"No, of course not!" Brock smiled, "Why I love swimming! In fact I do enjoy the breaststroke the most."

"That sounds thrilling," Jamie grinned, "I'll be happy to do the breaststroke alongside of you."

Brock felt himself lost in nervous laughter.

"Then we're all in agreement, yes?" Tana asked, "Let's see how well a Rock type Gym leader floats in the water. C'mon, big fella."

The two girls pulled Brock's arms as he ran with them down toward the beach. Ash and May continued to watch the scene with gaping expressions as the two girls seemed to be all over him.

"They really like him," May said, amazed.

"Uh…are you sure?" Ash asked.

Brock, Tana and Jamie entered the water as they started splashing each other, heading deeper toward the waves.

"Sure I'm sure," May replied, still quite shocked, "I think they both really like him. Brock must feel really lucky!"

"So is this why Brock ran down to the beach yesterday but came back to the lab disappointed when he said it was closed?" Ash turned to her.

"Heehee, guess so, Ash," May bemused, "It's nice to see that not all the women in this beach being total jerks."

"Huh?"

May lowered her eyes as her expression calmed as she started walking quietly up toward the boardwalk. She was quite scared to tell Ash about what happened to her at the club. She didn't want to let him know that she couldn't stand up for herself while being humiliated in front of thirty people.

"I'm going to get our Pokeballs, Ash," May said quietly while walking, "I'll just…get them and…be right back."

"Uh ok," Ash said, not realizing why her emotions changed so quickly.

Ash turned his attention back to the water as he watched Brock flirt with the two girls in the waves. Tana and Jamie continued coming into physical contact with Brock as they played in the waves giggling and cheering. Brock looked like he was having the time of his life, and Ash knew it was probably a wise idea not to interrupt his enjoyment by running into the waves to meet him. He watched, putting his hands in the pockets of his bathing suit as he walked through the sand to see what Max and Pikachu were doing.

Max jumped up and down in joy, "This is going to be the biggest sand castle EVER!"

"Chaaaaa!" Pikachu agreed.

Max dug through the sand with his hands as fast as a Vigoroth's claws could dig through the ground. The boy continued digging a moat-like ditch in a rectangle around his small mountain of sand which he called a sand castle. Pikachu helped by shooting small bursts of Thundershock to clear unwanted batches of sand away from the center. Max then used a small plastic orange shovel and a blue bucket that were left behind by some other kids on the beach. He continued to stuff the sand into the bucket, flip it over, and then have another oval mound to add to his sand castle. Ash approached them as he accidentally stepped on a part of Max's project.

"ASH, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE WALKING!" Max yelled.

"Wha?!" a startled Ash jumped backward.

He looked down to see that he had crushed one of the mounds of sand.

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu scolded its trainer.

"Ash, you just stepped on a part of my sand castle!" Max said annoyed, throwing his shovel to the ground.

"I didn't see it! I'm sorry, Max, but I wasn't really looking where I was going!" Ash defended himself, "Besides, what's this long ditch you two dug around the sand castle?"

"It's called a moat, Ash," Max said, rolling his eyes, "Obviously the tide will bring more water here later in the day, and being the genius that I am, I dug a moat around my sand castle so the water will fill into the holes instead of washing away my entire sand castle."

"Wow, you plan everything out, don't you, Max?" Ash complimented.

Max laughed, "Heh, I guess I do."

"Pipikahu," Pikachu said.

~*~*~~*

The boardwalk creaked as May stepped on some wooden planks heading back to _"The Accomodator" _to get their Water Pokemon to practice for the upcoming surfing competition. Her mind was filled with the promise of winning the race so they could use the prize money to finally pay back their debt to Professor Latrommi. She also found herself daydreaming as she imagined herself wearing those 15 prize bikinis in her mind for winning the race.

"Hey you!" a voice called out which woke May out of her fantasy.

May turned to see who called her name only to find herself startled – It was Precita, the vixen from the club with the long dark hair and the purple bikini. She was leaning against the side of a store with her arms crossed as her dark hair blew maliciously in the wind.

"You!" May gasped, staring at her.

Precita moved away from the wall as she walked over to May with her arms crossed. She had a conceited expression on her face as she looked down upon the girl.

"Where are you off to in a big hurry, miss?" Precita asked snobbishly.

"I don't have to talk to you," May said bluntly as she continued walking.

"How are your arms? Are they still bruised?" Precita called out.

Disheartened from the comment, May ignored her as she picked up her pace walking quickly toward the hotel not turning back.

"Hmmm, looks like Miss May is getting an attitude," Precita glared as she licked her lips, "I think I'll enjoy putting her in her place during the competition."

"Precita!" Dan called out as he pushed the locks of his light brown hair out of his face.

"Hi dear, are you done with Eliza yet?" Precita asked seductively.

"Yep, I think I enjoyed her more or less," Dan said cockily, "Though after testing her out I can say without a doubt that you're better."

"That's good to know," Precita grinned, turning to her boyfriend, "You do look a bit disappointed, would you like me to show you the right way its done?"

Dan laughed as he clutched his girlfriend around the waist and pressed her against his body.

"I'd be delighted," Dan said caressing her, "We'll have to do it in a secluded spot though, the one where Eliza was is a bit…messy at the moment."

Precita's eyes twinkled in an ominous manner.

"Then let's get going sweetheart. Nobody can connect as good as you and I, and I have to prepare myself for another little dish I've had my eye on today," Precita said.

"Are you referring to who I think you're referring to?" Dan asked.

"Sure, who better to exploit than an insecure and naïve little brunette girl?" Precita cackled, "I think I'm going to enjoy my time with her."


	24. Reenergized for combat!

**Chapter 24 ****  
**

**"Re-energized for combat!"  
**  
May was sitting solemnly on the edge of her bed in her hotel room. She was looking down at the floor as her hands lie in her lap. Her locks of hair cascaded down her face in a discouraged manner. She had kicked off her slippers when she first stepped into the room and plotted herself down on the mattress.

She knew that Ash was waiting for her to return with their Water Pokemon so they could start practicing for the competition, but instead the whole ordeal seemed hopeless. She wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation, as she had never been in a situation with overbearing, intimidating, and controlling people before. She pulled on the right cup of her dark red bikini as she thought about Precita's remarks back at the club. She continually replayed the events of the last couple of hours in her mind, but no matter how much she thought about it, the outcome was always the same. She was discouraged.

"Maybe competing in the race isn't such a good idea after all," she muttered to herself.

She turned her body over as she crawled to the top of her bed where she rested her head gently on the pillow. She curled the rest of her body to the right facing away from the door and window. The room was dark except for the small amount of light that trickled in through the curtains. The light reflected off her smooth, delicate skin as she lay with her arms crossed over her breasts.

She began to lose track of time as she rested in her bikini with her eyes closed on the bed. Unbeknownst to her, a little over a half hour had passed as she rested. A few more minutes went by as May found herself in a deeper stage of sleep, completely unaware how much time had passed since she promised Ash to return with their Pokemon.

*~*~*

"I know the hotel is far from here, but it doesn't take this long to walk there and back," Ash said, annoyed.

Ash was sitting on the sand with his arms wrapped around his legs next to Max and Pikachu and their sand castle. The surfboard was also brought to the sand, as Ash didn't want someone to take it if they left it carelessly in the water unattended. The sand castle was now quite big, as nine different mounds of sand were in the center of the moat.

"Do you think my sister ended up getting distracted by something and forgot to come back?" Max asked as he dug through the sand with his shovel, "She's like that sometimes, she'll get totally caught up in something that's fun like those amusement games those venders are having on the boardwalk and forget about what she was supposed to be doing."

"Give your sister some credit, Max, she would never promise something to her friends and then completely forget about it," Ash told him, "I know how much she wants to win this competition too because of all those swimsuit prizes. She was so happy that she couldn't put down the pamphlet that pictured the swimsuits, remember?"

"I know," Max said, turning to him. His voice was in a more worried tone. "Do you think something bad happened to her, Ash? I mean…it's been over 30 minutes hasn't it?"

"Pikachu pika…" Pikachu shook his head as it tried to comfort Max.

Max was a bit shaken as Pikachu placed its paws on his leg to try and reassure him.

"May knows how to take care of herself, Max," Ash said boastfully as he stood up, wiping the sand off his butt, "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. You know, all the close calls we've encountered traveling through Hoenn and Kanto? We've faced lots of danger on our quest and she was always able to pull through."

"Pika," Pikachu cooed echoing its trainer.

"But…can you go check, Ash?" Max said uneasily, "She might be at the hotel or the boardwalk, wouldn't it be a good idea to see where she is after all this time?"

"Yeah…I probably should go find her anyway. She's taken long enough to get back here with our Pokeballs," Ash said.

"Thanks, Ash. I know it's probably nothing, but I get worried about my sister sometimes. She's…the only sister I've got, and even though she teases and annoys me sometimes, I know she'll always be there for me," Max said, eyeing the ground, "I never told her this, but even though she promised our Mom that she was going to look after me on our journey, I kind of made a promise to Mom that I would look after her as well."

"That's very sweet, Max," Ash said in an understanding voice, "You're a good brother."

"Cha pika," Pikachu agreed.

"I don't think she knows that though," Max smiled, "Maybe one day I'll tell her that her little brother is always looking out for her too."

Ash nodded at Max's good faith as he pulled the tether of the surfboard and brought it close to the boy. The oval surfboard lie flat down where he was sitting, and he took both tethers that were tied through the opening and threw them into the middle of the surfboard.

"Are you going to leave that here with me?" Max asked, rubbing his belly.

"Yep, this thing is too annoying to carry with me all over the boardwalk," Ash said, placing his hand on the side of the board, "This surfboard cost us a lot of money, we have to make sure that we don't lose it."

"Of course, we'll never be able to afford to buy another one and then we could forget about the race," Max said.

"Pikachu, mind helping Max defend the surfboard?" Ash cheerily asked his favorite Pokemon.

"Pika!" Pikachu triumphantly patted its chest.

Pikachu jumped in front of the surfboard, crossed his paws, and acted like it was on sentry duty.

"We have to make sure nobody takes it either," Ash instructed his Pokemon, "I lost sight of Brock a half hour ago so who knows where he is, but you guys gotta hold down the fort until I get back. Right?"

"Right, Ash!" Max grinned.

"Pikachu, chu pika," Pikachu agreed.

"Go find my sister, Ash, please?" Max asked nicely.

After some farewell gestures, Ash started trotting through the sand heading toward the boardwalk. Since he wasn't sure where May was, he kept an eye out as he trekked along the beach hoping that he would spot her walking back with their Pokeballs in tow.

He noticed that the beach was awfully packed, a lot more people seemed to be here now than in the morning. Many families and teenagers were sitting on towels or allowance chairs conversing or relaxing. The Wingulls flying in the sky chirped and darted down to the sand whenever someone would throw them a piece of bread. Ash smiled as he watched a small little boy befriend a Wingull by giving him half his sandwich – or rather – the Wingull ate half his sandwich when the boy wasn't looking. The boy found that amusing however, and hugged the Wingull in his arms until his mother yelled at him for letting the Pokemon bite half of his lunch.

Ash stepped on the boardwalk and passed by the various stores, clubs, amusement vendors, and eating areas, briefly glancing in each one to see if he could spot his friend. The boardwalk was filled with people, and many of them bumped into Ash as he was walking due to his clumsiness while looking around. He would apologize to them quickly, saying he was just trying to find a friend, in which most people – especially the teenagers – scoffed at him as they walked by.

Ash grunted, "I don't think she's up on the boardwalk either. Unless I just can't find her in this crowd of people. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Brock anywhere around here either, I wonder where he ran off with those two girls to."

He decided to keep looking however, and after about 15 more minutes of looking through the boardwalk he was still unable to find her. He then decided to check back at the hotel to see if she was there, especially since she had to go there to pick up their Pokeballs.

He pushed through the front doors of the hotel and walked along the corridors until he came to the open terraces on the first floor. He walked over to the room they were staying in and turned the doorknob. He noticed the lights were out in the room as he opened the door slowly and peeked his head inside. He turned his attention to the left where he spotted her – May was resting on her bed on her side facing the right side of the room.

"May?" Ash asked softly, unable to figure out why she was resting on her bed.

The girl didn't notice him enter the room however as her body was faced away from him while she was sleeping gently.

Ash closed the door behind him as he walked over to the side of her bed and looked over her shoulder. Her back was toward him as her hair was all scrunched up against the pillow. He could hear her breathing softly while she napped. He was puzzled why she went to sleep when she said she was going to get their Pokeballs.

He hunched over her and gently rubbed her shoulder to wake her up.

"May? Are you asleep?" Ash asked rhetorically, as he already knew the answer.

The girl didn't flinch as her snores got a bit louder.

Ash sat on the side of the bed as he tried nudging her on the shoulder again to wake her up. The girl muttered something in her sleep as she tossed herself around and turned her body toward him.

"May…?" Ash asked again, softly, looking at her face and nudging her shoulder once more.

The girl flinched from the nudge as she opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she saw was Ash – in his bathing suit smiling down upon her passionately.

"Wha…Ash?" May yawned as she rubbed her right eye.

She sat herself up on the bed and stretched out her arms and legs before looking at him sleepily.

"Had a nice nap?" Ash asked, leaning toward her.

"Huh…you mean I fell asleep?" May asked, somewhat surprised.

She sat on her knees as she rested her hands in her lap. The two youths were sitting in their bathing suits in the dark room, with only a few ounces of light beaming in from the curtains which illuminated parts of their skin.

"I heard you snoring as I came in here, guess you did," Ash smiled. "It's been over a half hour."

"Really?" May asked, "I don't believe it, I was only resting my eyes for a few minutes and I guess I just conked out. Sorry, Ash."

Ash sat with one leg off the bed and the other turned inward. The two looked at each other shyly as they were in the room all alone, scantily clad in their swimsuits.

"Max was worried about you, we both were, we wondered what was taking you so long to come back with the Pokeballs," Ash said, trying to avoid the awkward silence.

"I'm so stupid, I didn't mean to fall asleep really," May said with a half-smile.

"So…do you want to grab the Pokeballs and head back down to the beach to practice surfing?"

"I…dunno," she said, turning her head away, "I don't think that I'm interested in competing in this race anymore."

Ash looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Whaddya mean?" he asked surprised, "You were so excited to come down to the beach and enter the surfing competition!"

"I know, but at the time I never really thought about the competition we might get," she said, looking back at him timidly, "Some people here are really expert surfers Ash, what chance would we have against them?"

"Does it really matter how tough are opponents are? That just makes this all the more exciting!" Ash said enthusiastically, "You've never backed down from a challenge before, May, why now? Did you meet some other people who are going to compete or something?"

"Something like that," May said, looking down in shame.

She sighed as she didn't want to tell Ash about her run-in with Precita and her friends. Ash was confused by her last comment, he looked at her as the two exchanged nervous glances and looked away again. Having traveled with her for almost two years, he could tell that there was something wrong. He quickly got up from the bed and walked over to May's fanny pack which was on the dresser. He opened the top of her bag and then began looking inside.

May asked airily, "What are you doing in my bag, Ash? I didn't say you could look in there."

"I'm just looking for something….got it," Ash said as he took out the pamphlet from her fanny pack.

May watched as Ash opened the pamphlet about the surfing contest. He knew how much she treasured the pictures of the bikinis in the booklet as he turned the pages trying to find the right one.

"Just a sec," he said, "Trying to find the right page…"

May smiled and said, "It's page 11, Ash."

"Eh?" Ash said as he looked up at her. He flipped through to page 11 which pictured the bikini prizes. "How'd you know I was looking for that?"

"I slept with that pamphlet in my arms back at the lab, remember?" May giggled, "I figured that you were probably looking for the page that showed the swimsuits."

Ash hopped back on the bed, sitting in front of her as he placed the pamphlet between them. May was still sitting on her knees facing him, while Ash sat with his legs crossed with the pamphlet resting in the middle.

"Since you already know what I was looking for, then you should know what I'm about to say, right?" Ash asked her, softly.

"Yep, after all the time we spent traveling together I can read you like a book, Ash. You're going to try to get me excited for the competition again by showing me the pictures of all the bikinis, right?"

"Wow, you're right, May," Ash said, scratching the back of his head in astonishment.

May raised an eye brow as she leaned herself toward him and quickly pulled his arm down.

"Scratching the back of your head again, I see?" May teased, holding down his arm.

"Hey, I didn't mean to do that…! It just happened naturally after hearing that you knew what I was going to say," Ash laughed, pulling his arm out of her grip.

"Heehee, I guess we both don't know what we're doing sometimes. You keep scratching your head where you injured yourself without knowing it, and I take a rest on the bed and end up falling asleep for half an hour without knowing that, either," May said. She smiled, brushing her hair out of her face.

May was more upbeat and energetic, it seemed like the company of a friend was all she needed to feel good about herself again, rather than depressed and discouraged from before.

"Hmm, I guess you want this swimsuit the most?" Ash asked, pointing down at the pamphlet.

He was pointing to a pink two-piece with a Skitty face imprinted on the right part of the top, as well as a Torchic face imprinted on the backside of the bottom.

May blushed slightly, "You're right, Ash, that is the one I want the most. Isn't that cute with the little itty bitty Skitty face on the bikini?"

She quickly pointed to another bikini that was pictured beside it. This one was a bright yellow bikini which had the outline of a Pikachu face imprinted on it.

"I bet this one would be your favorite if you were a girl, Ash," May jested, "You wouldn't be able to resist a Pikachu themed bathing suit would you?"

"No, and even Pikachu would probably like it," Ash chuckled, "Too bad it's a girls swimsuit or else I'd want it, but you'll probably look cute wearing that anyway."

May and Ash looked up at each other bashfully. Upon hearing his compliment, her face looked flustered as she tried to hide her blush as quickly as possible. This wasn't the first time he gave her an unintended sign of attraction, but she now caught him saying this at least twice, and it probably meant something. She placed her hand over the side of her cheek as she folded up the pamphlet and held it against her chest.

"Um, are you ok, May?" Ash asked, somewhat confused.

"Yea, I just have to ask you something, Ash," May said, pressing down the pamphlet against her chest as she stared at him.

Ash listened as he sat about an inch apart not sure what to expect. The curtains flickered as some more light finally radiated off their bodies. Each breath in the room could be counted as May hesitated for a few seconds.

"When you were resting in the Pokemon Center because of your injury," May began quietly, "And I first found out about the surfing competition and all the swimsuits as prizes…"

"Uh…yeah?"

"…and we promised Professor Latrommi that it would also help pay back the debt we owe him for destroying his machines…"

May placed the pamphlet down gently on the bed beside her. She rested her hands on her lap again and looked at Ash carefully. She could tell that he also looked uneasy, as she watched an ounce of sweat drip off next to his ear. She took a deep breath and continued.

"…we came to the beach for two things, Ash. I really wanted those bikinis and we really needed the prize money to pay back the Professor…" she said.

"You're kinda repeating yourself, May," Ash said honestly, "Is it something important you want to ask?"

"Yes, there is," May said, looking into his eyes, "What was more important to you? Entering the surfing race to pay back the Professor, or entering the race so I could win the swimsuits?"

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"Listen," May instructed.

She placed one hand down on his leg, the same way she did yesterday when they were sitting in the grass outside the lab.

"Deep down, did you decide to come to the beach just for me?" May whispered, "Just so I can be happy and win a prize?"

"I'm…not sure what you mean," Ash responded, "Of course I want you to win the swimsuits, but we also came here to we can pay back the Professor. Isn't that the same?"

"Maybe," she said, slightly disappointed, "I really thought that you decided to come to the beach so that you can make me happy…by winning the bikinis I mean."

Ash glanced at the pamphlet that she had placed to the side.

"I think I get it now, you're asking me if I decided to come here more for you than the Professor?" Ash asked.

He placed his hand over hers which was against his leg. The two smiled warmly at each other as the words got harder to formulate.

"Yes, that's it, Ash. Did you? Did you decide to come to the beach because you saw how much I wanted to win the swimsuits?"

"I think so," Ash said as he smiled, "I know that paying back the Professor is very important, but you're one of my best friends, May, and I want to see you happy too. I think that's what convinced me to go to the beach at the end, it was for you."

"Thank you, Ash," she said lovingly, "I knew it had to be for more than just Professor Latrommi and his broken machines."

She slowly leaned herself toward him as the cracks of light radiated her body. She wrapped her arms around his back as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Unsure how long the hold would last, Ash wrapped his arms around her as well while her hair tickled his shoulder. The two were in a tight embrace as skin brushed against skin while sitting on the bed.

"I'm so glad I met you, Ash," May said, clutching him, "You're the best friend I've ever had."

For some reason, Ash felt different as he held her. He wasn't sure of what it was that came over him, but he just felt content with her against his body.

The hug lasted for roughly ten seconds before May moved away and got up off the bed. She picked up the pamphlet and placed it on the dresser beside her fanny pack. Ash turned and sat on the edge of the bed with his feet resting on the floor.

"Maybe I should give this another try," May said, looking back at him, "I'm not going to let myself get discouraged by my opponents anymore."

"So you did meet some other surfers, eh?" Ash asked, eyeing her, "That's why you looked kinda sad on the boardwalk earlier today, right?"

"Yes," May confessed, "It's…nothing to worry about though, Ash. I mean, if we're in this together then I think we can pull through."

May leaned her back against the dresser, resting her elbows on the top. She watched him as he get got up from the bed and peered through the curtains.

"Looking for someone?" May asked, noticing him look looking through the window.

"Just wondering if I could spot Brock, since I have no idea where he is," Ash said, "If he's too busy with those girls, then I guess it really is just you and me who are going to be racing, right?"

"Looks like it," May responded, "Two people need to race together on the surfboard with two Pokemon, so if Brock isn't around, it's just…us."

Ash turned to her and clenched a fist in the air.

"Let's start practicing then!" Ash cheered enthusiastically, "You're ready for this, right, May?"

May cheered as she also clenched a fist, "Sure! Even if we don't win the competition, at least I know that I tried and gave it everything I got."

Ash picked up his backpack from the floor and opened it to find Corphish's Pokeball. He rummaged through his bag until he took out the Pokeball and showed it to May.

"I'm going to be using Corphish, he's already been in a lot of fast battles in the water so he should be perfect for a swimming competition," Ash said, clutching his Pokeball, "You're using your Squirtle, right?"

"It's my only Water Pokemon, it's not like I have much of a choice otherwise, Ash," May smirked, picking its Pokeball out of her fanny pack.

"Are you sure Squirtle is up for this?" Ash asked, walking up to her, "It's still fairly young, and from what Brock told us the course is pretty long and has a lot of obstacles to overcome."

May peered down into its Pokeball.

"I could lend you one of my other Water Pokemon that I have back at Pallet if you want," Ash suggested, "You know my Kingler, Totodile or Squirtle would be good choices too."

"No way, Ash!" May said confidently, "I'm using my own Pokemon for this race. I have to put my trust into my own Pokemon to win my battles for me, and this surfing competition is one battle I'm not going to turn away from."

"Heh, I knew you'd say that," he said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, sorry, Ash, but I'll have to pass on your generous offer. I'm using my Squirtle all the way and we're going to come in 1st place!" May shouted triumphantly, jumping in the air.

Ash opened the door as the light from outside filled the room entirely. The two trainers were taken back as to how bright it was outside.

"Jeez, after all this time I didn't even realize we were sitting and talking in the dark," May slapped her forehead.

"You're the one who decided to take a nap," Ash said mockingly.

"Hey!" May bantered.

Ash and May walked out of the room and into the outdoor corridor as he shut the door behind them. The ferns planted next to the walkway gave the area a wonderful fragrance. May loved the smell as she bent down next to the ferns and took in a few whiffs. Ash told her to hurry up as Max and Pikachu were waiting on the beach with the surfboard waiting for them to return.

~*~*~

Max was sitting sternly with his arms crossed atop the surfboard. Pikachu paced back and forth in front of the surfboard, ready to defend it if the case need be.

Max brought his hand up to his face, pretending that he was talking on a radio transceiver, "This is Captain Max speaking, atten-tion!" he ordered in a stereotypical voice of a an army officer.

"Pikachu – Pika!" Pikachu shouted as it stood still and saluted the captain.

"Lieutenant Pikachu, at ease!" Max ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu complied.

Max got up from the surfboard and continued to pretend that he was talking through a radio. He hunched himself over and gave himself an overbearing expression.

"We have been ordered by General Ash to guard this vessel. We have to protect it from all would-be attackers!" Max shouted, "Do you accept this mission, sir?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted.

"I didn't hear you! Speak up, son!" Max said, almost giggling at his own accent.

"PIKACHU!"

"ONE MORE TIME!"

"PIKACHUUUUUUUU!"

"That's better," Max snickered, turning around, "At ease, soldier!"

"Chaaa…" Pikachu panted as it collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

"We don't know how long we have to wait, but we will protect the vessel with all our might. We're currently waiting for General Ash to return with the captive princess over at enemy headquarters," Max declared, "His last report stated that he broke into the enemy base, called "The Accomodator" and is now fighting his way through rescuing the girl."

"Pika?" Pikachu said as two people were coming into view behind Max.

"Of course the girl is lazy and is stupid enough to be caught in "The Accomodator", Max shouted into his hand, "Maybe if she were nicer to her younger brother and didn't try to drown him at sea, said younger brother would try to rescue the helpless young female because she's too worthless to save herself!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME, MAX?!" a female voice shouted.

"Wha?!!" Max gasped, falling to the ground in shock.

Max looked up startled as May and Ash stood over him.

"You got a lot of explaining to do, mister!" May snarled, "Did I just hear you call me WORTHLESS?!"

"May…I was pretending!" Max said, squeamishly.

May glared at her little brother as she brought her face right next to his.

"Pretending to be in the army, huh, Max?" May yelled, "Well how 'bout you do 30 pushups right now!"

"What? You're crazy!" Max bantered.

May stood up and brought her hand to her mouth. She grinned as she spoke into the side of her hand.

"This is Princess May talking, I hereby order all little brothers to do 30 pushups on the floor, this instant!" May ordered happily.

"But…" Max tried to say.

"No buts! I ORDER you to obey me, Captain Max, or else its back to Petalburg City for you and I won't allow you to travel with me and General Ash anymore! I'm sure King Norman and Queen Caroline will be very unhappy to hear the news of a certain little brother misbehaving," May teased.

"OK, OK!" Max said quickly, getting on his hands and knees.

Max started doing pushups in the sand as May hovered over him. Ash and Pikachu weren't sure if they should burst into laughter or feel sorry for Max. Ash watched, trying not to chuckle as May continued to order him.

"You call that a pushup?!" May exclaimed, "My grandma could do a better one than that!"

"No she couldn't!" Max shouted after doing another pushup, "Our grandma can barely run, let alone do push-ups!"

"Quiet you! Or it's back to Petalburg for the likes of you," she taunted.

"OH SORRY!" Max grunted after he did another pushup.

May looked up at Ash, watching him trying to hide his laughter. She winked at him playfully, taking her hand away from her mouth.

"Ok, Max, that's enough for now," she said happily, pulling her little brother up by his arms, "That's all this Princess wanted."

May kneeled down on the sand and hugged her brother in her arms. Max hugged back just in case she would yell at him again if he didn't.

"Aw, you know I love you, Max," May said, squeezing him.

"I am so going to tell Mom and Dad how much you've been teasing me lately," Max said.

The two let go and stepped away from each other as Max ran up to Ash.

"So, Ash, where did you find my sister anyway?" he asked.

"Like you said when you were playing Captain before, she was at "The Accomodator" in our room," he said, smiling.

"It took you that long to get the Pokeballs?" Max moaned.

"Oh be quiet, Max, I was uh…kinda…" May trailed off.

"Tired?" Ash finished for her.

"Eh, maybe," she said, smiling.

"You did a good job looking over the surfboard while I was gone, you guys," Ash said to Pikachu and Max, "Guess I'll be dragging this thing to the other side of the beach."

"Huh? Why don't we just practice here?" May asked.

"Because Brock said that they have a separate section reserved for people training for the competition, remember?" Ash said, picking up the two tethers in the front of the surfboard, "At least there we'll be able to practice with our Pokemon, and we won't have to worry about bumping into any kids playing in the water."

"Alright, Ash, I'm right behind you," May said, holding up her Pokeball, "Let's get started."

Ash tugged the surfboard along by the tethers as May walked next to him. Max decided to stay behind to continue building his sand castle, and for the fact that he was afraid that someone would knock it over if he was gone. Pikachu stayed with Max as well, since electric Pokemon weren't allowed in a Water Pokemon competition.

The duo walked on the sand as the sun continued to beat down on them. May wiped some sweat from her brow but Ash didn't mind the heat, he knew that he'd cool off as soon as he went into the water anyway. The surfboard seemed to get heavier as Ash was pulling it, either that or the sand made it feel like he was dragging something weighing 20 tons. He hurled the two tethers over his shoulders, hoping that would make it easier to pull it along. May watched with discontent as he was struggling to pull it.

"Gimmie that," May said as she snatched one of the tethers off his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"You looked like you're about to die, Ash! I'm helping you pull the surfboard along," she said, tugging the second tether.

Ash held the first tether and continued walking as the surfboard dragged behind them.

"Thanks, May, the sand really drags the board down, doesn't it?"

"Sure does…ugh," she panted, "Why the heck do they have to make surfboards this big anyway?"

"Because we both have to stand on it at the same time maybe?"

"Yeah that's probably it," she said, "Oh, I forgot about something!"

The two stopped in their tracks as Ash looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"This surfboard is hard enough to pull as it is, I forgot that our Pokemon are actually going to be pulling this along in the water!"

"Erm so? The two tethers will be tied around their bodies as they're swimming in the water."

"But…" May turned to Ash, clasping her hands, "You mean my little Squirtle is going to have to pull the weight of this surfboard, AND with us standing on top of it at the same time?"

"I think so. But Corphish will be there right beside him pulling us along as well."

"I think we may be too heavy for our Pokemon to pull. This seems like a lot of work for the Pokemon!" May said jittery.

"May, you're forgetting that the surfboard will be floating in the water, and Corphish and Squirtle will be swimming in it as they pull us along. It probably won't be so hard to pull while floating," Ash reassured her.

"But what about our weight? Can they pull the weight of the two of us?" she asked.

"I only weigh about 105 pounds…err…at least that's what I think I weigh," Ash shrugged his shoulders, "How much do you weigh, May?"

"What?" May said in disgust, "Ash, don't you know you're never supossed to ask a girl her weight?"

"I'm not?!" Ash said, confused, "What is that a law or something?"

"No, it's just common sense," she rolled her eyes, "You're lucky I'm your friend, you know."

"Ok ok, I'm sorry. You were asking if Corphish and Squirtle would be able to pull us though so I wondered how much we weigh together."

"Well…I weigh about…95 pounds I think," May said, scratching her chin, "Don't you dare tell anyone that though."

"Uh…"

"What?"

"I only weigh 10 more pounds than you!"

"Kind of hard to imagine since you're so skinny, Ash!" May teased.

"Skinny?" Ash remarked.

"Yep! Looks like your body doesn't agree with your appetite," May chortled.

Ash rubbed his hand over his face and sighed.

"Uh…so with our weight combined we should be around…" Ash thought carefully, "180 pounds?"

"What…no I don't think that's right….more like around 190 something…no wait it's 200!" May slapped her forehead.

Ash looked down at his Pokeball, 'Well, Corphish, looks like you'll be putting all your training to the test!"

"For some reason I think this is going to be harder than we realize," May sighed.

She picked up one of the tethers and began tugging the surfboard again, with Ash picking up the other tether shortly after. Ash and May noticed the signs that were placed in the sand and against the walls of the small stores, which detailed where the reserved section of the beach was for competitors. They followed the signs until they came to a a part of the beach with buoys and ramps placed in the waves.

"This must be the right place," Ash said, looking around at the obstacles in the ocean.

"Ash, look!" May pointed.

Ash followed her gaze as he saw many people surfing the waves with their Pokemon pulling them along. Over 30 people riding on surfboards were in the waves, riding off the ramps or staying in between buoys. The two trainers gawked as they watched the various competitors performing incredible feats on their surfboards as their Pokemon shot out elemental attacks to keep them on the course. The Water Pokemon were nothing to scoff at either, they were all huge compared to the choices Ash and May had. Pokemon such as Tentacruel, Sealeo, Dewgong, Seaking, Wishcash, Quagsire, Marshtompt, and Golduck were among the many choices that the trainers were using in their practice races.

Ash gasped while watching two teens on a surfboard cheer in the wind as their surfboard flew off a ramp, with their Milotic performing a beautiful dive back into the water – and without a moments hesitation – it continued pulling the surfboard along the race course.

"This is incredible," Ash gasped, "These people are all really good!"

"I know, I know, I know, I know!" May squealed in joy, "These people are all so good and this looks like so much fun! You were right, the surfboards do move quickly in the water while the Pokemon are pulling them. And the trainers look like they're having so much fun too!"

"But aren't you at least amazed by how tough this is going to be?" Ash asked while still gawking at the people in the ocean, "I sure hope we can get ready in time for the competition next week."

May's eyes sparkled as she watched with clasped hands at a beautiful Vaporeon breezing in the sea, pulling its trainers along.

"Oh my god we have to try this, Ash!" May squealed, jumping up and down, "Hurry up, let's start practicing, this looks like so much fun!"

May ran ahead on the sand to get a closer look at all the people surfing with their Pokemon on the race track. Her jaw almost dropped to the floor while watching the festive activities, as she giggled and pranced while watching the fun.

Ash smirked at May's enthusiasm, watching her from afar. He knew from what he saw that this would be no easy competition to beat, but for Professor Latrommi and especially May, this would be worth it. He vowed to himself to do his best, if not for his own sake, then for May's.


	25. Don't let go

**Chapter 25  
****  
****"Don't let go"  
**  
"Want some more?" Tana asked.

"Oh sure! I'd love some more, especially coming from you," Brock chuckled nervously.

"C'mon, Tana, let me have a turn. You've been hogging Brock up for the last five minutes," Jamie protested.

"It hasn't been a full five minutes yet, has it?" Tana asked disappointingly.

"I'm afraid so, girl, now hand them over! I wanna feed Brock now!" Jamie protested.

"Alright fine," Tana said.

_Could it get any better than this? _Brock thought to himself while he lay on a lounge chair. He had his hands resting behind his head while he stared up at the blue sky above. His face was coyest as Tana got up off his left leg and handed the stem of grapes to her friend. Tana kicked the sand playfully at Jamie, disappointed that her turn with Brock had expired.

Jamie approached the lounge chair and sat down on the side next to his legs. She dangled the stem of grapes playfully over his eyes in order to entice him.

"You don't mind us feeding you, do you, Brocky?" Jamie asked playfully.

Brock felt his hands sweating as this beautiful girl was playfully teasing him with a stem of grapes. He found it hard to keep his eyes from wandering and being the typical guy – his eyes often took snapshots of her chest as she leaned over to him. He tried to hold back his temptations and his nervousness as Jamie and Tana hovered over him.

"I don't mind at all!" Brock said, "Believe me, when I get full I'll tell ya!"

"Sounds good," Jamie said, plucking a single grape from the stem.

She placed the grape softly on his tongue, in which he didn't hesitate closing his mouth and chewing. Jamie brushed her hair to the side, waiting for him to swallow before plucking off another grape. Tana watched with her arms behind her back as her eyes scanned every inch of his body. They wanted him - badly, nearly as much as Brock wanted them. If they weren't on a public beach out in the open with many people walking and playing in the sand, things might have gotten really serious.

She placed her hand down on his chest while leaning over and placed another grape in his mouth. Tana walked up to her friend, placed her hand on her shoulder, and whispered something into her ear. The two girls giggled while Brock could only fathom what they were saying.

He forced his eyes to stop wandering to certain body parts that their swimsuits were concealing. If he waited this long for girls to show him affection, he knew that he couldn't afford to blow it.

_Keep your eyes on their faces, _Brock reminded himself.

*~*~*~*

On the other side of the beach, Ash and May were standing in the shallow water with the surfboard floating next to them. Corphish and Squirtle, Ash and May's Pokemon respectively, were standing in the shallow waves waiting for further instruction from their trainers.

"Corphish cor cor!" Corphish said energeticly.

"Calm down, Corphish, I'm just going to tie this tether around your body," Ash said, approaching the lobster with the rope, "It'll be like you're wearing it around yourself."

"Corpheeeesh!" Corphish bantered, jumping out of the way.

Ash tripped over the rope as Corphish jumped back on the sand. He screamed in shock as he fell face first into the sand. May and Squirtle watched cautiously, wading in the shallow water as a disgruntled Ash picked himself up.

"Corphish! Did you really have to jump away from me when I was trying to tie this around you?" Ash asked, irritated.

He brushed off the sand that was sticking to his body and watched Corphish prancing around, opening and closing its pincers. He grunted as the jolly lobster continued to make fun of him.

"Poor, Ash," May said to her Squirtle, "Looks like Corphish isn't to keen on the idea of participating in the race."

"Squirtle, squirt," Squirtle said innocently, clinging to her leg.

May bent down and picked up her little Squirtle in a loving manner. The Squirtle buried its head in her chest as she squeezed it with her arms wrapped around its shell.

"Aw, are you worried about this too, Squirtle?" May asked softly.

"Squirtle…" it replied, gazing up at her.

"Don't be scared," she said, stroking its blue head, "It's going to be a lot of fun. Look at all the other trainers here."

May cradled Squirtle in her arms, facing it toward the festive acts in the water. The wide-eyed Pokemon watched in awe at the various degrees of feats and amazement there was to behold. May joined in on the astonishment, as the two gazed in unison.

A young couple screamed in joy while holding onto the tethers of their surfboard, as their two Pokemon – Luvdisc and Walimer, breezed along the waves, pulling them along. May and her Squirtle were unable to shift their gaze, as the two Water Pokemon sped up a ramp and into the air. May and Squirtle gasped at how high the surfboard was flying in the sky. The couple shouted again as the surfboard floated in mid-air for a few seconds before landing back down on the water and continuing to ride on the current.

Walimer shot out a jet of water from its mouth and aimed it at the floating red buoy in front of them. This propelled the surfboard in a different direction while the Luvdisc swam underwater. The couple continued to shout in unison as the surfboard was pulled under a man-made tunnel and through the opening on the other side.

"Amazing," May said, absolutely speechless.

"Squirtle!" the Pokemon echoed its trainer.

"See? You're going to be swimming in the water just like you always do. The only difference is you'll have a little rope tied around your body so the surfboard gets pulled along with you," May instructed gleefully, "Just remember not to crash into any buoys or into any walls 'k?"

"Squirt," Squirtle laughed.

"Yeah, cause then you'll get a big boo-boo on your head, and we don't want that," May smiled, hugging her Pokemon in her arms.

"CORPHISH! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Ash shouted.

Corphish sped along the sand with Ash chasing after it furiously. The lobster enjoyed making a fool out of its trainer as it zoomed along, trying not to bump into any people along the way. Ash darted after it as fast as he could, losing a bit of his temper every step of the way.

"Corphish, this isn't funny!" Ash yelled.

"Corpheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!" Corphish sneered.

It pranced around, flinging its pincers mockingly at him. Ash finally caught up to his Pokemon while trying to catch his breath.

"Alright, Corphish, enough games," Ash said, panting.

"Cor…cor," Corphish grinned.

"How about you stop acting this way and come with me back to the surfboard? All I'm going to do is tie a little rope around you! It's not that bad!" Ash pleaded.

"Coooooooor-phish," Corphish shook his head sturbbornly.

Ash could feel his anger burning up inside of him. He could tolerate fun and games but not when it came to the expense of a Pokemon disobeying its trainer. He grinded his teeth while looking down at his Pokemon agitated.

"Let's go, Corphish, come with me back to where May and the surfboard are. I'm going to tie that tether around you whether you like it or not!" Ash said angrily.

Corphish responded by picking up a clot of sand with its pincers and flinging it at Ash's face.

"GAH!" Ash screamed as a large patch of sand smacked him in the face.

He stood silently with the clot of sand completely covering his entire face.

"Corphish, corphish! Cor Cor!" Corphish jeered, laughing uncontrollably.

He wiped the sand off his face with one stroke of his hand. His eyes buldged, his eyebrows twitched, and his hands started to clench into fists.

"NOT FUNNY!" Ash screamed.

"Corpheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!" Corphish grinned, running toward him.

"What the heck are you doing now?" Ash gasped.

Corphish ran straight toward him and knocked him to the side in the process. The feisty lobster ran back toward its Pokeball which was resting in the sand next to Squirtle's ball. Corphish pressed the button on the ball with its pincer, and quickly enough, the red laser retracted it back inside its Pokeball.

Ash smacked his head stubbornly against the sand while he lie on his stomach. Annoyed and browbeaten, he slapped his face irritably.

"That's just great," he moaned, shaking his head.

May giggled with amusement while walking with Squirtle in her arms toward the Pokeballs on the sand.

"I'll repeat, poor Ash," she said cheerfully.

Ash walked back toward her while trying to brush all the sand off his face and body. He looked up at her disappointingly.

"So much for that idea," he said.

"Don't be silly, Ash," May said, placing Squirtle down on the ground, "I think Corphish will warm up to the idea as soon as he gets a good look at all the people and Pokemon racing in the ocean."

"Maybe," he said looking at Squirtle, "So are you ready for this, Squirtle?"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle replied, clasping its hands.

"That's right, Squirtle and I are going to do our very best in this race," she chuckled, "Unless you can get Corphish to come out of his Pokeball, looks like we'll be practicing by ourselves."

"Wait…I want to practice too!" Ash said with the palm of his hand raised, "If Corphish is too stubborn to try this right now, why don't we just practice racing with Squirtle?"

"But, Ash, remember our weight?" May asked, "We may be too heavy for Squirtle to move all by itself."

"Squirtle…squirtle squirt," Squirtle shook his head.

"What? You mean you think you can pull us both along while we stand on the surfboard?" May asked her Pokemon.

Squirtle nodded.

"But…" May tried to say before her voice trailed off.

Ash noticed that she was getting a bit worried that her young Pokemon was going to have to do all the work itself. He watched her stand there frantically, her brown hair blowing in the wind with a troubled expression on her face. He knew he wanted to reassure her, as seeing her uneasy always compelled him to show support for her. But for some reason, this time he couldn't budge.

He just stared.

He watched her stand there, with her legs twitching holding her hands behind her back, looking cautiously at her baby Squirtle. Her dark red bikini contrasted with her sapphire eyes, as her skin seemed to glow in the heat of the sun. Her face was filled with doubt, yet also with compassion and concern. She cared deeply for her Pokemon, so much that she was worried about the extra weight it was going to have to pull along.

Ash tried to shift his gaze, or blink, or turn around, or do anything, but for some reason he couldn't. He was fixated on May, for a reason he couldn't figure out.

It wasn't just because of her looks, even if she appeared to be strikingly beautiful against the backdrop of the orange sun and sparkling ocean behind her. Compassion always came before beauty for him, but yet May – possessed both.

He noticed that she looked over at him out of the corner of her eye, somewhat expecting him to say something to her. Instead, he continued to just stand and watch as her Squirtle wrapped its hands around her leg.

She bent down and patted the little turtle on its head. She smiled sincerely as the Pokemon returned the affection.

Then - it hit him.

She was as endearing and compassionate about Pokemon as he was. No matter how much she wanted to practice for the upcoming race and win the swimsuits, her concern for her Pokemon came first. The bond she showed for _others _is what was more important - such as her love for her brother, friends, and Pokemon, not about her own personal gain.

"Ash?" May asked him somewhat dubiously.

"Eh?"

Ash closed his eyes tightly and opened them, trying to shrug off the stare he had given her.

"Wakey wakey!" she smiled, waving her hand in front of his eyes.

He was surprised that she knew he was staring and trailing off into thought. His eyes widened as he responded with a friendly gesture.

"C'mon, I think the two of us should give the surfboard a try without our Pokemon," May said innocently, "If our Pokemon watch us practice standing on it, they probably won't be as nervous."

"Squirtle…squirtle," Squirtle agreed with its trainer.

"That so, Squirtle?" Ash uttered.

Squirtle nodded. Ash shifted a glance toward May for her approval and then walked over to his Pokeball on the ground. He picked up the Pokeball and released Corphish from inside. The red lobster materialized in front of him as it moved its pincers erratically.

"CORPHISH!?" Corphish screamed.

"Relax!" Ash said, "I know you're probably mad I let you out again, but I just want you to see what we're actually going to be doing."

"Cooooorphish," Corphish warned its trainer by pointing a pincer at him.

Ash chuckled, "You can just sit on the side and watch, Corphish, don't worry, if you don't want to race with us then I won't force you."

"Corphish?" Corphish said, somewhat surprised.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle said cheeringly standing next to it.

"Alright you two," May instructed, "Time to watch and learn!"

May quickly ran over to Ash and grabbed him by the hand. She smiled, pulling him with her back toward the surfboard floating in the water. Ash stumbled in the sand surprised at how enthusiastic she was while leading him by the hand.

"OK!" May said, "We just have to stand on the surfboard, right, Ash?"

"Well of course," Ash snickered, "That's why there's room enough for both of us to stand right behind each other."

May stepped one foot on the surfboard before looking back at their Pokemon, "I hope you two are watching!" she called out.

Corphish and Squirtle uttered less than enthusiastic replies.

"Looks like they're still not excited," Ash said disappointingly.

"Oh they will be, we just gotta give them some time. You know that right, Ash?" May asked.

She stepped up on the oval surfboard and stood in the center. She placed her hands on the small raised pillar in the middle, moving aside the two tethers that were tied through the small circular opening in the center. The raised pillar went up to her belly button, she placed her hands on the ropes, as she imagined her Pokemon were swimming and pulling her along. She flicked her hair in the wind and cheered triumphantly.

"Mission one accomplished!" May cheered, "I didn't lose my balance or fall off the surfboard!"

"That's an accomplishment?" Ash asked, still standing in the water.

"Sure," she winked, "I was afraid the whole surfboard would start shaking if I stood on top of it, but I'm perfectly steady."

"Yeah, that's what the shopkeeper said when we bought the surfboard from him. It's made of sturdy material and it's easier to balance on than a normal surfboard. Probably because this one is more oval in design and it's enclosed on all sides but the back. It's hard to fall off the edges when the material reaches your ankles too!" Ash said.

May kicked her feet gently against the enclosed sides of the surfboard, happy that it was made of strong material too. She looked back down at Ash curiously.

"What are ya waiting for, Ash? Come up!" May said encouragingly.

Ash picked up his foot and pressed it down on the edge of the surfboard, the board began to wobble a bit but May still stood her balance. He picked up his other leg now standing atop the surfboard with two feet. Ash stood right behind May in file, as it was impossible to stand side by side due to the enclosed spaces.

Ash tapped her shoulder from behind, "Looks like Mission two is accomplished!"

"What did we accomplish now?" May asked playfully.

"We both managed to stand on the surfboard without falling over of course!" Ash smirked.

May chortled while sticking out her tongue. Her eyes shifted as two more couples on surfboards began to ride through the waves near them. Upon seeing them in formation, she noticed that the person in the back was holding the person in the front around the waist. In fact, she discovered that nearly everyone practicing in the waves were holding onto each other for support. She turned her head back toward Ash innocently and smiled.

"Um…Ash? I just thought about this while watching the other people surfing, and wouldn't you lose your balance back there while we're racing?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, standing right behind her.

"Look at all the other people racing," she said pointing, "The person in the front is holding onto the two tethers that are tied around the Pokemon, and since the Pokemon are racing at super-fast speeds, if you're not holding onto anything you'll go flying off the surfboard."

"Hm, I noticed. Good thing those tethers go through that circular opening in the middle of the pillar, otherwise you wouldn't have anything to hold onto to keep your balance," Ash said, "I knew that already, May."

"That's not all, dummy!" May mocked, "The person in the back also has to hold onto something too or they'll fall off while we're moving. And from what I've seen, nearly all the people standing in the back are holding around the person in the front around their waist."

"Uhhh…so?" Ash asked confused.

"That means you'll have to hold onto me!" May yelled.

Ash looked rattled, but he shrugged it off as it was no big deal. Coming into physical contact with her was happening more frequently, and after sharing the moment of hugging on the bed in the hotel room, this would be no different.

"So…do I just have to hold you around the waist or something?" Ash asked shyly.

"Um, yea I think," May responded with a small tint of red appearing on her face, "When our Pokemon are swimming we're going to be moving like crazy, and if you're not holding onto anything you'll fly right off. I guess these surfboards were kinda designed this way on purpose, right? You know, where one person has to stand behind the other and they have to hold onto each other to stay balanced?"

"In this case I'm kinda glad we couldn't find Brock. I can't imagine wrapping my arms around _his _waist the entire time while we race," Ash bemused.

"Heehee, I think I saw two guys holding onto each other too around the obstacle course on the other side," she giggled immaturely.

Ash rolled his eyes as he approached her from behind. He slowly wrapped his arms around her belly button, holding her around the waist as he pressed himself against her. He pressed his chest flat against her back while clutching her tightly from behind.

The small red tint on May's face grew slightly bigger, as she felt the full embrace of him holding her around from behind. Her eyes began to twitch as her mouth went dry upon feeling his warm skin rest against her own. His arms seemed to melt along her smooth stomach as the warmth radiated between their bodies.

She tried to utter a sound, but her voice managed to escape her. She could feel his breath blowing into her ear, as he was standing right behind her, but in turn this made her feel a little lightheaded.

_He's holding onto me, _she thought to herself.

Her eyes began to water with a hint of jubilation. She was completely lost in his masculine embrace.

For Ash, the feeling was mutual. The breathtaking scent of her hair filled him with astonishment. Holding onto her was more than a feeling of obligation, but he felt compelled to her. Her body felt so fragile in his arms, almost as if she would fall into pieces if he let go of her. He _had _to hold her around, there was no other way around it. Yet at the same time, it felt endearing.

At that point, everything happening around them was irrelevant. The people cheering in the waves and surfing around them seemed to disappear. The sounds of the waves splashing along the shore were faint in the background. Corphish and Squirtle seemed to fade entirely from their minds. There were no people, no Pokemon, no commotion, and no sound. There was just a feeling of two bodies pressing together in an empty sea, nothing more, nothing less. He was just holding _her, _and she felt him clutching her around from behind.

Emotions that neither Ash nor May ever knew they had seemed to radiate through their bodies during the embrace. Neither could move or budge, or say anything. They wouldn't _dare. _Being held around by Ash was enough to make her stare blankly into the open sea, with the support of him by her side. While holding around May was enough to make Ash feel that she was _his. _

Instead of holding onto the tether, she moved her hands down and put them over his arms. It wasn't enough for her to feel his arms wrapped around her waist, but she wanted to hold onto his arms as well to make sure he was real and not some fantasy conjured by her imagination.

The two continued to stand while wrapped in a whimsical embrace, staring absentmindedly into the open sea.

"Cor-phish?" Corphish asked slyly, watching them from the sand.

Squirtle looked at it confused, "Squirtle?"

"Corphish…coooorphish," Corphish said, trying to hint something at Squirtle.

He pointed his pincers toward Ash and May on the surfboard, who both looked like their minds had left their bodies. Squirtle scratched its blue dome of a head and sat itself down on the sand. Corphish walked up to Squirtle and whispered something into its ear.

"Squirtle squirtle?!" Squirtle replied, shaking its head, "Squirtle!"

"Phish!" Corphish replied naughtily.

Corphish started walking silently in the sand toward the water. Squirtle watched anxiously of what it was about to do.

"Corphish, corpheeeeeeeeesh," Corphish chuckled to itself devilishly.

It entered the shallow water and started swimming toward Ash and May. It approached the edge of the surfboard and looked up at the two trainers. They were both completely unaware that Corphish was next to them, they were still trying to get over the feeling of emotional contact they were having.

Corphish looked back toward Squirtle on the shore, put his pincer in front of his mouth and whispered, "Ssssssshhhhhhhh!"

Squirtle put his hands over his eyes as it didn't want to watch what Corphish had in mind. Although after a few seconds, it moved one hand away from its eye to take a peek.

Corphish took a dive underwater right beneath the surfboard. It waded its way to the front of the surfboard, still moving silently through the water. Its small head surfaced right in front of the surfboard, but not high enough for either Ash or May to see him. It grinned wickedly as it was preparing to make its move.

"Squirtle…" Squirtle said in shame.

Ash and May stared silently into space, when all of a sudden a huge shadow jumped out of the water right in front of them.

"**Hei hei!**" Corphish screamed at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ash and May screamed in unison.

The two quickly snapped back into their senses and toppled over backward in shock at something jumping toward them. Ash stumbled backwards, and while still holding onto May, made her fall backward with him.

"GAH!" May cried as she landed on top of Ash's lap.

"What was that?!" Ash said, still in shock.

Ash sat on the surface of the surfboard with May sitting in his lap, the two looked up at their aggressor – Corphish.

"Corphish, corphish, cooooor-phish!" Corphish laughed mockingly, standing on the pillar in the middle of the surfboard.

"Squirtle…squuuuuuuirt!" Squirtle chuckled from the sand.

Ash and May looked irritably at Corphish.

"Why did you have to scare us like that?!" May demanded, still sitting atop Ash.

"You could have given me a heart attack!" Ash gasped.

Corphish didn't enjoy their reactions to its practical joke very much, and in spite, Corphish hopped off the surfboard and back underwater. Just when the trainers thought it had left, the entire surfboard began to wobble.

"What's going on now?!" May shrieked.

"It must be Corphish again….!" Ash cried.

The entire surfboard was flipped over by Corphish underwater. Ash and May splashed into the water and fell face first in the waves. Corphish began wading its way back to the shore now that its job was complete.

Ash and May emerged from the water panting and rubbing their eyes.

"Corphish just flipped the whole surfboard over!" Ash said.

May squirted out a trickle of salt water from her mouth.

"Blech, I just got my mouth filled with salt water. I didn't want a mouthwash," May whined.

"Corphish why'd you do that?!" Ash screamed out.

Corphish walked back beside Squirtle on the sand. The two laughed uncontrollably as they did a high-five with their pincer and hand respectively.

Ash and May continued to float in the water, leaning against the edge of the upside-down surfboard. Not only were they both a little miffed about Corphish scaring the living day-lights out of them and knocking over the whole surfboard, but they were also annoyed that their moment in contact came to an abrupt end.

"I'm sorry, May, I don't know what's gotten into Corphish," Ash groaned, "Maybe I really should use one of my other Water Pokemon that I left with Professor Oak."

"Well look on the bright side, Ash, the competition doesn't start for another six days, remember? We have a whole week to practice surfing and convince Squirtle and Corphish to race with us," May said.

"Corphish, pheeeeeeesh cor cor!" Corphish pranced in the distance.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle joined jumping up and down.

"Something tells me this is going to be a long day," Ash groaned.

The two trainers wearily made their way back to shore, tugging the surfboard behind them. After 15 more minutes of failed attempts to get Corphish to race with them, they decided to take a break and watch the other surfers performing instead. Ash brought the surfboard to a vendor where he could leave the board for the meantime instead of carrying it around everywhere. The vendor placed their surfboard against a rack next to the rest of the boards he was storing. Ash signed a piece of paper in order to keep track of whose board was whose, and handed it to the man as he taped it atop his surfboard.

Ash and May held their Pokeballs in their hands while Corphish and Squirtle walked behind them. The two figured that if Corphish saw enough Pokemon having fun with their trainers in the water that he would eventually want to participate as well.

There were several wooden seats along the side of the beach, mostly for spectators to sit down and relax while watching the people surfing in the water. May suggested that they should get a front row seat so they can pick up techniques from their competition. Ash and May sat down quite enthusiastically on the seats facing the ramps and the small wooden tunnels. Corphish and Squirtle stood beside their legs. The seats appeared to be filling up fast, with many people deciding to kill some time and watch trainers and Pokemon practice for the competition.

Ash smirked as he noticed that his Corphish began to take notice about the Pokemon swimming with the tethers around them. The lobster watched starry eyed as a Seadra and a Seaking intertwined together to get an extra boost of speed in the water pulling along their trainers at an amazing rate.

"Looks like fun, huh, Corphish?" Ash asked.

Corphish turned his head away quickly to pretend he wasn't interested. Ash sighed and turned his attention back toward the surfing. May then got an idea, and whispered something into Ash's ear.

"Hm, sounds good," Ash winked.

"Corphish?" Corphish asked, looking up at them.

"Lookie there, Ash, a Crawdaunt!" May said, pointing.

Corphish looked at the ocean and saw a Crawdaunt shooting Water Gun to propel itself over a wall with its trainers trailing behind it. Corphish turned his head away in disgust.

"I see it, May, you have to be really strong to compete in these races," Ash said mockingly, "I guess we can't expect our Corphish to compete, it probably knows it doesn't stand a chance against the competition."

"Corpheeesh," Corphish sneered.

May winked at Ash to continue. Ash crossed his arms and grinned while closing his eyes.

"Yep, I guess it was a waste trying to make Corphish race with us after all. I guess I'll just have to send it to Prof. Oak and use one of my other Water Pokemon instead. No big deal, it _knows _that a Crawdaunt would just leave it in the dust," Ash sneered.

"So much for that," May smiled, tapping her knees, "Even my baby Squirtle at least has the determination to race with us."

"Corphish corphish!" Corphish bantered, jumping in front of Ash and May.

It started pointing its pincer toward the sea while yelling over and over again. The other people sitting around Ash and May noticed how frustrated Corphish looked.

"What's this, May? Looks like Corphish actually _wants _to compete now!" Ash snickered.

"Oh my! I would have never guessed, Ash!" May said, putting her hands on her cheeks.

Corphish knew the two of them were teasing him, as his face started to swell with anger. Squirtle quickly walked aside as it knew what was coming.

"Coooooor-pheeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!" Corphish cried, jumping into a battle position.

Ash, May and the rest of the people sitting looked at him with startled expressions. Corphish then began to fire its Bubblebeam attack from its pincers, as huge brusts of bubbles began smacking into the people.

"Corphish, wait!" Ash cried.

It was too late as the Pokemon angrily fired its attack toward Ash and May, knocking them over in their seats. The Pokemon then went beserk, firing its attack at all the other people sitting as well. The other trainers jumped out of the way, frantically screaming with their hands over their heads.

"Corphish, cor cor!" Corphish cried, firing in every direction.

Ash brought his arm around May, bringing her to the ground to avoid the attack, she looked at him frantically.

"This was a bad plan, Ash, there's no stopping Corphish when he gets like this," she said.

"I think we should have teased it a little less harshly," Ash said as he slapped his face.

"Somebody stop that Pokemon!" an angry male trainer cried, ducking for cover.

"Put that thing back in its ball!" a lady yelled running for cover.

Squirtle shook its head and sighed. It sat itself down lazily on the floor waiting for Corphish to calm down.

The Bubblebeam attack got so strong that the force of it began destroying the small wooden chairs. Ash and May held their hands over their heads as they heard the wood breaking around them. After a few moments, the two of them were the only trainers in the vicinity as everyone else ran out of the way.

"Corphish!" Corphish intimidated its trainers.

May picked her head up and grunted. She grabbed Ash by the arm and helped him to his feet. Once Corphish aimed its pincer back at the two again, May frantically hid herself behind Ash's body, pressing against his back.

"Ash, stop it already!" May cried, holding onto him.

"Corphish we're sorry!" Ash pleaded.

"Phish," Corphish said, its eyes narrowing with its pincer still raised.

"I'm to blame Corphish!" May confessed.

She moved away from behind Ash while leaving one hand placed on his shoulder. She pressed her other hand against her heart apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Corphish. I whispered the idea to Ash to tease you like that so you would race with us," May said, sniffling.

"Corphish?"

"I shouldn't have done that and made you mad, but please don't take it out on Ash," she said.

May walked in front of Ash and spread her arms out to the side.

"May, what are you doing?" Ash asked frantically.

"Corphish, if you want to put the blame on anyone it's me, so if you want to fire your Bubblebeam...go right ahead," she said, making herself a target, "I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

"May!" Ash shouted.

Corphish didn't lower its pincer, and continued to focus its gaze on May.

"Squirtle squritle!" Squirtle shook his head nervously.

"Pheeeeesh," Corphish said, its eyes narrowing.

"May, c'mon!" Ash said, tugging her arm.

The girl didn't move however. She continued to stare at Corphish sympathetically. Her eyes began to water as a somewhat sad smile appeared on her face. The other trainers all stared in shock waiting to see what Corphish would do. Would it fire its attack at May for mocking it?

"May…" Ash said softly.

Corphish could see the sincerity in May's eyes, and slowly it lowered its pincer. Its rage subsided as it walked over to her slowly. May watched it approach her still unsure what it would do. Ash had his hand on her lower back ready to pull her aside just in case. Squirtle and the other trainers held their breath as Corphish stood in front of her.

"Cor-phish," Corphish said, nodding.

It raised a closed pincer at her, ready to forgive her as well as apologize for its actions. May nodded and placed her hand on its pincer.

"Thank you, Corphish," May said happily.

"Corphish," Corphish replied.

The two shook "hands" as the other trainers watching began to clap. Ash was touched by the moment between May and his Pokemon.

Squirtle approached its trainer and tapped her on the leg. May quickly snatched up her Squirtle and hugged it in her arms.

"No hard feelings, right, Corphish?" May asked.

"Corphish," Corphish nodded.

"What a nice girl you are, is that your Pokemon?" a female surfer asked.

"Huh? No, it's my friends Pokemon," May said as Ash walked beside her.

"Yeah, Corphish is mine. Right, buddy?" Ash said leaning toward it.

"Phish," Corphish grunted.

"Either way, you two should make quite a team for the competition coming up," the surfer said, "If the bonds between the Pokemon and the trainer are strong, you'll have no problem in the race."

"Thank you, ma'am," May said.

"Ah, I have to get back to my surfing," the surfer said, walking off, "You two have fun with your Squirtle and Corphish, it's nice to see such a happy couple and their Pokemon bonding together."

Ash and May had tints of red appearing on their faces off that last remark. They took shy glances at each other and turned away, rubbing their toes innocently in the sand.

"Corphish," Corphish grinned, "Cor cor."

"Hey, you're not teasing us now are ya?" May asked, nervously.

Corphish rolled its eyes.

"Heh, you are one crazy Pokemon, Corphish. That's why I'm glad I caught you," Ash said.

"So, Ash," May said, holding her Squirtle, "Wanna get back to practicing?"

Ash chuckled.

"Whaddya say, Corphish? Want to practice with us?" he asked.

"Corphish, cor!" Corphish replied enthusiastically.

"Great!" Ash cheered, "Let's get our surfboard back from the vendor so we can practice racing!"

"Just one thing though, Ash," May said flirtatiously, "When we get back on the board can I stand in the back this time?"

"Uh…howcome?" Ash asked.

May walked ahead of him, squeezing her little Squirtle. She blushed, turning her face toward him.

"I'd like to hold _you _around this time," she said, giggling.

"Ehehe," Ash chuckled nervously.

"Corpheeesh, cor cor pheesh!" Corphish said teasingly.

"I guess I was right when I said this was going to be a looooong day," Ash smirked.


	26. The feeling has meaning

**Chapter 26  
****  
****"The feeling has meaning"  
**  
The water splashed around their bodies as the surfboard raced across the waves. A sense of unparalleled speed consumed the pair as the wind flicked through their hair continuously. Joyous laughter and screams could be heard during the acceleration. Surfing on the waves with their Pokemon wasn't just fun, it was exhilarating.

May clung around Ash's waist tenaciously while the surfboard zigzagged through a small course of red buoys. Corphish and Squirtle were swimming in the water with the tethers tied around their bodies. The feisty lobster moved its pincers in a spinning rotation to propel the surfboard at a fast rate. Squirtle preferred to keep its face right on the surface of the water as swimming was second nature for the small turtle. The two Pokemon glanced at each other as they prepared to turn in unison so the surfboard wouldn't crash into any of the buoys.

"Corphish, Squirtle!" Ash called out, holding onto both tethers through the circular opening on the pillar, "Remember how wide the surfboard is! We gotta make sure we fit in between the buoys or else we'll get knocked over!"

Corphish and Squirtle replied anxiously as they tried their best to not get bogged down by having the surfboard crash against a buoy.

May cheered in excitement as her brown hair constantly got blown in front of her eyes. The surfboard was moving so fast that she had to hold her arms around Ash even tighter to make sure she wouldn't fall off the back. She pressed her chest firmly against his back and made sure that she was in tight physical contact with him. She shouted gleefully not just because of how much fun she was having, but because she got to hold him around so closely and so intently without it seeming awkward or questionable.

"Ash, I sure hope you're holding onto those tethers tightly!" May teased, brushing her locks of hair out of her eyes, "If you let go, I go flying off with you so keep that in mind!"

"No problem, May, I have a firm grip on the ropes!" Ash replied, turning to her slightly, "Maybe you should hold onto me with all your might so _you _don't fall off yourself!"

May giggled and pressed her body against his even more. Her face was not even behind his anymore, but resting on his shoulder next to his own. She was no longer bewildered or cautious while holding him anymore, she now felt so _comfortable _being in such close contact with him. There were no fears, no doubts, no awkwardness. She could hold him around tightly with mutual excitement.

Ash in turn felt himself enjoying the feeling of having her holding him from behind more than the practice race himself, which had him in a sense of jubilation over these new emotions flooding his mind. It wasn't just any girl holding him around and pressing against him, no it wasn't just any girl at all. It was _May _that his body was in contact with, and that was what his sense of excitement was about. Their two bodies were nearly one entity with how symmetrical they were standing against each other. Since Ash was only three inches taller than May, their torsos were lined up perfectly.

Her dark red hip-hugging bottom piece of her swimsuit was cushioned by his buttocks through his black bathing suit. Her fingers tickled his belly slightly with their tender touch. Her breasts were pressed up hard against his back, so much so that it didn't even feel like she was wearing a top covering the important areas. She didn't mind however, and neither did he. Her head rested on his shoulder, with their faces a mere inch or so apart. He could feel and hear her heavy breathing right next to his ear, each of her breaths made the hairs on his neck stand up on end. The locks of her silky brown hair sometimes brushed against his cheek, tickling his face in the process. Not only that, but they were so _warm _together. Never before had their skin reacted so acceptingly against the skin of their friend. Their skin didn't just radiate together, they were ablaze on fire.

May would sometimes lower her face from the view as the wind was so swift against her, in which she would lean her lips against his shoulder. They were closed however, but at the same time her lips seemed to brush against his skin. She didn't quite realize what she was doing, but her lips more often than not found themselves pressing against his shoulder. Ash would felt the tickle of her moist lips against his skin, but he never mentioned it. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it for one thing, as the boy had never gotten the signifigance of lips pressed against a body part. May in turn would continue pressing her lips against his shoulder, but the sensation didn't quite hit her. Was she giving the boy a number of soft kisses on his shoulder without realizing it? Neither Ash nor May seemed to get it, but the kisses were genuine. Her face would even constantly bump up slightly due to the unpredictability of the waves, in which her lips would come down against his back and shoulder once more. She felt the scent and the slight taste of his skin, he on the other hand felt the tingle on his shoulder. The enjoyment of the feeling was mutual, but the understanding of it was beyond their comprehension.

The surfboard suddenly shook and banged quite violently against the edge of something on the waves. The pair held on tightly as they looked quite precautiously at what happened. The board had slammed into the edge of a small ramp in the waves and was now stuck in between the ramp and a buoy that was placed beside it. Corphish and Squirtle looked up at their masters disappointingly as they had unknowingly brought the surfboard to a complete halt. Ash reassured their Pokemon that it was no big deal, and it was understandable to crash into a few of the obstacles on the course, especially since this was their first time.

"That's why it's called an obstacle course," Ash said, "We have to avoid bumping into anything along the way."

May loosened her grip around his waist slightly and peered over his shoulder at her Pokemon. Ash frowned slightly as his skin felt cold without her arms around him. He tried to shrug it off all the same as he wasn't aware why he felt this way. The girl leaned over the surfboard and rubbed the head of her Squirtle nicely.

"Remember when we had talks about getting boo-boo's, Squirtle?" May smiled.

Squirtle laughed, wading in the water while Corphish was just about ready to realign the surfboard to get moving again.

"The surfboard didn't get hit too badly, did it?" May asked, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"Doesn't look like it, we only hit a small wooden ramp," Ash assured her, looking over the edge.

"I just want to make sure we didn't damage the surfboard in some way. If we end up breaking it while we practice we won't have anything to race on when the competition begins. Besides, Ash, weren't you supposed to be the one steering this thing?"

"Eh?" Ash turned facing her, the two trainers were now looking at each other face to face, "You mean turning the tethers?"

"Yea, didn't you tell me if you turn the tethers in a certain direction that the Pokemon will know to make a turn? Looks like somebody wasn't paying attention."

May took one finger and tapped Ash playfully on the nose. He returned her affection by smiling sincerely.

"You're right, it's not Corphish or Squirtles fault. We have a broader view of the obstacles ahead of us since we're standing on the surfboard, it's easier for us to tell them how to avoid stuff," Ash shrugged, "I guess I was too caught up in the moment."

May raised an eyebrow. A sly expression appeared on her face.

"What moment?" she asked sweetly.

"Hmm?"

"Well?"

May chuckled, holding her hands playfully behind her back. She looked at him squarely in his eyes and awaited his reply. She knew that she was backing him into a corner, but she wanted to hear it from him in his own words. It wasn't just the thrill of speeding along the waves with their Pokemon, no…it couldn't be just that. She admitted to herself after their first embrace on the surfboard that it was the feeling of them together that made her more excited about racing. Whether he was holding her around or whether she was holding him, it made no difference. To her it was such a strange feeling, she felt secure, confident, and most importantly, _happy _when she was in contact with Ash. She had already considered him to be her very best friend and the most important person on her journey, but beyond all that admiration and friendship, she was growing attached to him in a slightly different color. Confused about her own opinion on the matter slightly, it was her desire to see what he had to say about it. She swallowed her saliva waiting for him to say something.

"I…like surfing,"

That was all he said.

May's eyes nearly jumped out of her sockets in pure disbelief. _That _was all he could say? If it weren't for his injury on the back of his head that he was still healing from, she almost felt like slapping him.

"That's it?" May asked unsurely.

"Sure, it's so fun surfing with our Pokemon like this that I wasn't paying much attention to the obstacles in the water, and that's why we got stuck here," Ash said, noticing a hint of disappointment in her eyes, "Were you expecting me to say something else?"

May frowned. Maybe he _didn't _feel the same excitement in his blood from being in contact with her. She had never held a boy so closely, so tightly before that she was sure that he would comment on that. Likewise, she figured that he probably never held a girl around the waist either, especially pressing together in scantily clad bathing suits no less.

The surfboard shook a little as Corphish used his pincers to break away from the hold the board was snagged in. The board was still slightly stuck, as Corphish then launched a powerful Crabhammer attack to propel the board backwards and out from the ditch. Its pincer slammed against the wooden ramp as the surfboard flung violently backward.

During the unsteady shaking, May accidentally lost her balance and she feared that she would fall off the edge of the surfboard and face first into the water. She yelled, closing her eyes in fear while tripping, almost certain that she'd be submerged in the water a few seconds later. The shaking seemed to stop, as the surfboard was now floating peacefully on the water again. May, on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what happened. She opened her eyes slowly, thinking she probably fell overboard.

There was one problem with that however, she wasn't wet. She couldn't have fallen into the water. Another problem was that she felt warm, as if someone was holding her. Now _that _certainly got her to look up frantically to see what happened.

"Looks like I got the catch of the day," Ash said.

Her eyes widened as she realized she was in Ash's arms, their bodies pressed against one another while her head rested on his chest. She bit her lip, moving her face away from his body, much to her dismay since she liked his chest, but she had to register what just happened in her mind. That was not all, what was happening was still…happening.

Ash stared back at her as he held the side of her arms with her hands. She was standing an inch apart from him again like before, but this time he still had his hands on the side of her arms. She stammered a bit looking into his eyes.

"You caught me?" she asked.

"Corphish, corphish cor cor!" Corphish exclaimed energetically in the water, happy that it got the surfboard free.

"Clumsy, aren't we?" Ash replied, "I told you to hold on tight."

May was relieved, that was satisfactory enough.

"Thank you, Ash," she said softly.

Ash turned around and looked back down at Corphish and Squirtle wading in the water, still with the tethers tied around their bodies.

"Corphish, Squirtle! I think we should take a break from practicing for a bit. We're going to head back to shore, alright?" Ash called out.

"Squirtle squirtle!" Squirtle nodded.

"Coooooor-phish," Corphish added, splashing its trainer with some water.

"Hey!" Ash bantered happily.

He turned his attention back toward May, who was still standing behind him silently.

She finally uttered something to him, "That's it for today then, right?"

"Yep, I think this was a good first-run of the obstacle course. We only bumped into something once!" Ash said proudly.

"Heh, and we would have had smooth sailing if you just paid more attention to where we were going, Ash," she said teasingly.

The surfboard waded in a different direction as it now faced the shore where the waves met the sand. They were still fairly far out in the deep water, so it would take a bit for them to get back to shore. Corphish and Squirtle prepared themselves to swim but waited for their trainers to hold onto something again before they started.

Ash grinned, gripping onto the two tethers again. He turned his head back toward her.

"Aren't ya going to hold on again, May?" Ash asked.

"Of course!" May said happily as she wrapped her arms around his waist again.

The feeling of being in contact warmed both their hearts again, the coldness that their bodies felt before was now replaced by warm feelings of affection once again.

"Alright, Ash, I'm ready when you are!" May giggled, holding him tightly.

"I really like the way these surfboards are made," Ash said as his dark black hair blew in the wind, "I don't think I'd have it any other way."

May followed his eyes as he looked down at her arms holding him around. She nearly erupted with joy, but she contained her excitement. He _did _like it that she was holding and pressing against him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, either," May said, pressing against him tightly and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"It's only going to be 30 seconds before we get to shore," Ash said, looking ahead.

"You sound disappointed, Ash," May teased, "I could hold you around when we're not surfing too if you like."

Neither Ash nor May knew how to respond or react to that comment, but they both stared absent-mindedly ahead. Corphish and Squirtle got a little impatient and started yelling in the water.

"CORPHISH!"

"SQUIRTLE?!"

"Ok ok! Let's get going!" Ash shouted, "You can start swimming now!"

Corphish and Squirtle rolled their eyes as they started swimming in the water, thus pulling the surfboard and their trainers with them back ashore. After half a minute, the Pokemon waded in the shallow water near the sand as they had reached their destination. Ash and May quickly hopped off the surfboard and untied the tethers around their Pokemon. Corphish and Squirtle were quite relieved to finally have those scratchy ropes off their torsos. May walked onto the sand, curling her hair with her finger as the two little Pokemon followed behind her. Ash tugged the surfboard ashore by pulling on one of the tethers and brought it next to their two Pokeballs which were still resting peacefully in the white sand.

The trainers recalled their Pokemon into their Pokeballs, ready to head back to the other end of the beach where Max and Pikachu were waiting for them.

May continued innocently curling her brown hair with her finger, she was very pleased with the way the last few hours had played out. She focused her attention on Ash's back as he tugged the surfboard behind him. Her heart began to flutter just watching the boy walk ahead of her.

_There's something different about Ash now, _May thought to herself, _Or maybe it's me. It's strange, why do I feel so attached to him all of a sudden?" _

She took a deep breath and tried to relieve herself of this strange sensation in her heart. She even tried glancing away from him and focusing on the sunset in the horizon. It was a beautiful sunset, the colors of red and orange filled the sky with a dazzling display. But at this point it was of no use. Her eyes kept wandering back toward Ash. And they didn't just look at him, they _focused _on him.

_Why can't I take my eyes off him? _she thought, _I must be going crazy or something. _

She blissfully twirled her hair without a care in the world besides staring at her friend as she walked behind him. It seemed like this would end a perfect day…until _they _showed up.

May's heart nearly leaped into her throat when she saw two people sitting at a picnic table reading a magazine. They were people she had run into before, people who seemed to get a kick out of ridiculing and humiliating her at a club on the boardwalk. The attractive woman with long jet black hair and a tight purple bikini, Precita, was stroking her boyfriends' light brown hair as she flipped through the pages of the magazine. Their overbearing laughter and snobbish voices could be heard all the way where May was standing, nearly 15 feet away.

"What are they doing here?" May asked herself nervously, "I didn't want to run into them again."

She frantically ran up next to Ash and tried to stand on the opposite side of his shoulder, so that his body was blocking her view from the two people at the table.

_If I stand next to Ash hopefully they won't spot me, _she thought, _I don't want Ash to know what happened. _

Ash noticed that she seemed to be hovering next to him, almost as if she was trying to avoid being seen by someone.

"Uh, are you alright?" Ash asked curiously.

May nodded to say, "Yes."

"Just keep walking, Ash, let's hurry up and get back to my brother," May urged him, standing ever so close to his body.

He turned to the left to see what she was trying to avoid, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just a young couple reading a magazine at a picnic table, nothing shocking.

"Erm, ok," Ash shrugged.

Suddenly a flash of white light shot out from May's Pokeball that she was holding. The light formed into the shape of her Squirtle, who let itself out of its ball without its trainers command.

May gasped, "Squirtle, why did you let yourself out?!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle said enthusiastically.

It fell backward on its shell and started twirling itself in the sand playfully. Its shell rotated in a clockwise motion heading at the same speed as the trainers.

"That looks like a lot of fun, Squirtle!" Ash said, "Your Squirtle must have realized how much fun it could have twirling in the sand."

"I know…but," May said nervously, knowing that her Squirtle spinning in the sand would catch the attention of people walking by.

She looked over in the direction of Precita and Dan, who both got up from the picnic table and appeared to be walking in the same direction they were.

Her heart skipped a beat, _They're going to notice me! _

"Squirtle!" May called out weakly, hoping not to draw attention to herself.

Squirtle frolicked in the sand unaware of the predicament its trainer was in. She tried to calm down, maybe the two of them wouldn't notice her as they walked by. After all, she was still standing next to Ash and the surfboard, somewhat obscure to their view. She tried to breathe a sign of relief, but her heart leaped into her throat when she heard that snobbish voice call out.

"Whose little Squirtle is this?" Precita asked, noticing it twirling itself on its shell, "Looks like it has discipline problems."

Ash turned to Precita and Dan, who were both looking down at her Squirtle with plain expressions. May was panic-stricken, how would she avoid seeing them now?

"That Squirtle belongs to my friend," Ash said cheerfully, "It let itself out to play in the sand."

"Squirtle, squirt," Squirtle said, standing upright.

"Let's itself out of its ball, eh?" Dan asked, flicking his light brown hair, "Maybe you should be more strict with it."

May bit her fingernails with her back up against Ash's. She nervously stood still hoping that they wouldn't even be aware of her existence. She stared silently out to the open sea, hoping that with her back turned to them and her friend and the surfboard nearby, that they wouldn't notice and would be on their merry way.

_Please go away, please go away, _May begged.

"That's not up to me," Ash laughed, "It's up to my friend, May."

May just froze. She was petrified, there was no way to avoid it now.

He said her name.

"May?" Precita asked herself, "Hey is that who I think it is standing behind you?"

Precita walked over to the side and sneered in delight. May looked up at her aghast trying to hide her nervousness.

"It IS you," Precita grinned, "I knew there couldn't be another person with the name "May" on this beach, it had to be the one and only."

"Eheh, yeah," May nodded nervously and put on a false smile.

She didn't want to make herself look uneasy around her, especially when Ash was standing right there.

"So let me get this straight, you're entering the surfing competition with that little Squirtle?" Dan asked mockingly.

"You mean you guys are entering too?" Ash asked, "That's great! It's nice to know your competition."

May glared at Ash, but he didn't know what kind of people they are. She crossed her arms over her chest, she wanted to get out of here as quick as possible, not make conversation.

Precita eyed Ash contemptuously, and then looked back at May.

"So I guess you finally found yourself a partner? Where'd you get him from? Don't tell me that someone willingly decided to race with you," Precita sneered.

"He's my friend," May replied calmly, "We came to the beach together."

"Could have fooled me," Precita said audaciously, "He looks like a frail little piece of garbage, but then again, that's probably why you paired up with him. Garbage belongs with garbage don't you think, Dan?"

"Of course," Dan cackled.

"What did you just say?" Ash asked a big miffed, "I'm not sure but I think you just insulted us."

"Ash!" May said frantically, tugging on his shoulder.

Precita and Dan laughed mockingly.

"She sure can pick 'em. This boy looks like he's just a big a loser as she is," Precita said to her boyfriend, pretending that Ash wasn't standing there right in front of them, "I mean I know some people are mentally challenged but I think we've hit rock bottom here folks."

Ash was getting agitated and very quickly at that. May could almost feel his blood boiling in his body as she clutched his arm. His face beamed in a convulsed manner as his eyes bulged.

May shook her head nervously and tried to pull him along with her, as she knew the situation would only get worse. He wouldn't budge however, no matter how desperate she wanted him to move. Squirtle quickly ran behind May's legs, a bit intimidated by the large and overbearing humans in front of it.

"Calm down, kid, you look like you're going to blow a fuse," Dan snarled.

"Who the heck are you guys anyway?" Ash asked angrily, "And how do you know May?"

"Oh, you mean she didn't tell you?" Precita clasped her face surprised.

"ASH, LET'S GO!" May pleaded, pulling on his arm.

The boy still didn't move, he wasn't going to take this lightly much to May's dismay.

"I would have thought the girl would run off crying to her friend after what happened earlier today, but I guess she's keeping it all bottled up inside instead," Precita laughed, walking around the two trainers.

"What is she talking about, May?" Ash asked.

"NOTHING!" May gasped, "Now let's go, Ash! Please!"

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle echoed its trainer. It appeared to share May's distress, as Pokemon could sense their trainers feelings better than anyone else.

Precita and Dan nodded at each other. They were just about to say something when they heard someone else calling their names from afar.

"Precita, what the hell happened to my surfboard?!" a female voice called out.

"It's time," Precita winked at her boyfriend.

Dan nodded, as the couple turned around and faced the two people running toward them in the distance.

Ash and May looked curiously over their shoulders, but May's stomach felt like it was tied in knots as she recognized the other two people running toward them. The girl was a blonde with blue eyes, the one with the strapless sky blue bikini that had a body equivalent of a porn star. It was Eliza – the girl who had tripped May at the club which caused her to scrape her arms. Running next to her was Chaz, her boyfriend, who kept his black hair in a ponytail behind his back.

May's heart felt heavy as she recalled the events of the club in her mind. Her courage began to sink, her morale dropped. What seemed to be a perfect afternoon with Ash surfing in the water was completely destroyed by the arrival of all four people from the club. She knew she had to get out of there, and fast.

Chaz and Eliza ran up toward their friends with antagonized looks on their faces. They were pissed off about something, they were not in a good mood in the slightest.

"Alright, can someone explain to me what the **** happened in our hotel room?" Chaz blurted out.

Eliza caught her breath, and eyed both Precita and Dan, completely unaware that Ash and May were standing behind them. She was too enraged to think properly.

"Like this is absolute BS!" Eliza yelled, "I feel like kicking someone in the pants!"

"Hello?" Chaz asked angrily, "Answers! I want answers!"

Precita and Dan glanced at each other calmly. They looked back at their enraged friends.

"Why, whatever are you two talking about?" Precita asked naively.

"Yeah, what did you run out of the good stuff or something?" Dan joked.

"Cut the garbage," Chaz demanded, "You two know good and well what happened."

_They're fighting amongst each other, _May thought, _Maybe they'll just forget about us then. _

Ash was still interested in what was going on however, as the boy listened intently to the two couples quarreling in front of him. May stood uncertainly next to the surfboard with her little Squirtle clinging to her legs.

"Care to explain yourselves?" Dan asked confidently, "We're not mind readers, you know."

Eliza spit to the ground ready to explain herself, "You two want to play dumb, then fine. Whoever the bastards are that destroyed our surfboard and broke it into little pieces is going to have my fist in their face!"

"So _that's _what you're mad about?" Precita laughed, shaking her head, "This is all a big misunderstanding then!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Precita?" Chaz demanded.

"Hey back off!" Dan said, pressing his hand against the other guys' chest, "Don't talk to my girl like that."

"In our hotel room, we found our surfboard torn to pieces. Do you know how much those damn things cost?" Eliza yelled, "You're the only two who know which hotel room we're staying in, so the only people who could have destroyed it is you two."

"Uh, are you guys having an argument or something?" Ash asked out of nowhere.

Chaz and Eliza looked irritably at this naïve little boy who disrupted their argument. May looked aghast as Ash unknowingly got himself involved into something he shouldn't have.

"Ash, come on! We have to get back to the others!" a frantic May gasped, tugging on his arm bringing him back to the surfboard.

Ash's legs trailed backwards this time as she desperately tried to get them out of the argument and out of the picture. She nervously picked up the tether of the surfboard and began pulling it with her while urging Ash to follow her.

"Like I said, it's a misunderstanding, Eliza," Precita said devilishly, "It wasn't us who destroyed your surfboard, it was _those _two!"

She pointed ominously toward Ash and May who looked up in shock.

"Are you serious?" Chaz asked her, "How the hell did they get into our hotel room?"

"You left your door unlocked, remember?" Dan said, "It was easy to spot your surfboard right on the floor."

"But why would they do it?" Eliza asked, "They had no reason to destroy our surfboard…unless…"

"_Unless," _Precita encouraged her.

Eliza grew in anger, "Unless she wanted to get revenge on me for tripping her back at the club!"

"That's right," Precita chuckled, "I saw the whole thing but was too late to stop it. That brunette girl and her friend smashed your surfboard to pieces. A pity."

"That's a lie!" May gasped, "We didn't do anything like that!"

"Who the heck are these people?" Ash asked irritably, "How could you say something like that? We would never break someone else's surfboard!"

Chaz barged right through Precita and Dan and ran up in front of Ash and May. Ash and May were taken back with how much Chaz towered over them. His face was boiling, with his hands clenching into fists.

"Thanks for telling us the truth, Precita," Eliza said, "We should have never pinned the blame on you."

"Don't sweat it, Eliza, what are friends for?" Precita laughed, "C'mon, Dan, let's get out of here."

Dan looked at her questionably, "Um, I thought we were going to…"

"NO! Now let's go, Dan, this is none of our business," Precita demanded.

"Fine, you're the boss," he replied.

Eliza walked up beside her boyfriend as Precita and Dan walked off in the distance behind them.

May's eyes twitched, _Precita and Dan are leaving? _

"Alright, kid, you better give me a damn good reason why I shouldn't run my fist down your throat," Chaz affronted him.

Ash looked at May for answers wondering what the heck was going on. May shook her head and pushed her little Squirtle behind her legs and out of sight.

"Listen, I don't know who those people were but they were lying!" Ash said.

"Those _people?" _Eliza grunted, "Those people are our good friends. They wouldn't lie to us."

"You little dirtbags went into our hotel room and smashed our surfboard to pieces, we were going to use that in the race competition!" Chaz yelled.

"You're wrong!" Ash clenched his teeth angrily, "You're accusing us of doing something we didn't do!"

"Oh I don't think so," Eliza said approaching May, "Ms. brunette here must have wanted to get back at me for making her fall onto the hard floor. I'm afraid you've gone too far this time."

"May?" Ash turned to her.

"Never mind that!" May gasped, "But thinking we went into your hotel room is absurd! We don't even know where you guys are staying!"

Ash and May backed up a bit as Eliza and Chaz moved in closer. These people were not going to listen to reason, they were too enraged to think properly. Confusion and anger filled through Ash's mind as he was trying to make sense of the situation in very little time. This was no time for games, something serious was about to happen.

"I'm trying to be nice here," Ash snarled, "May was with me the entire time practicing in the ocean. We didn't go into any hotel room and we certainly didn't destroy your surfboard!"

Ash tried to hold back his rage, it was building but he was trying his best to suppress it.

"I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way," Chaz cracked his knuckles, "_One _of you destroyed our surfboard that much is obvious. So if this kid didn't do it, then it had to be the girl for the reasons Eliza said."

"You're insane!" May blurted out, "Just get away from us already!"

"Wow," Chaz chuckled looking at Ash, "I'm sorry, kiddo, but I don't believe this bitch."

That last word was all it took. Ash could no longer stand by and take the false accusations, as well as the name he called his best friend. His face looked like it was about to explode, and for good reason, the adrenaline in his body was building up for an explosive release.

Before Chaz could turn his head, Ash pulled back his arm and clenched a fist, darting toward him and striking him squarely in the jaw. His fist came into full contact with his mouth, a direct hit that knocked the man off his feet. He felt down onto the sand dumbstruck, holding his aching jaw in pain.

Ash stood there agitated while May and Squirtle watched in shock. Eliza looked down at her fallen boyfriend in disbelief.

"Don't you dare call my friend that _ever _again!" Ash warned.

Chaz continued rubbing his jaw as the pain continued to throb through his mouth. Eliza helped him to his feet as he eyed Ash maliciously.

"That was a good punch, kid, nearly knocked my tooth out," Chaz grunted, spitting to the floor.

"Then back off!" Ash said, "And stop accusing us of doing something we didn't do. I don't care about fighting, May, let's get out of here."

Ash turned around and walked back toward May and the surfboard. May eyed the opposing couple nervously as it didn't seem like they were willing to back down and leave.

"C'mon, let's go, May," Ash said.

"Hey, kid!" Chaz called out.

Ash turned around as Chaz and Eliza walked up to him. He looked up at their hateful overbearing expressions. May knew something was about to happen, but she didn't know what.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"You forgot something," Chaz smirked.

**BAM. **

One blow was all it took to bring Ash crashing down to his knees in pain. Chaz had socked him right in the belly with his fist, bringing Ash down clasping his stomach to the ground. He cowered on the floor in pain as May quickly ran over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. She frantically tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes as she just witnessed what happened to her best friend. Squirtle froze in fear.

"ASH!" May cried as tears feel down her face, trying to bring him back to his feet to see if he was alright.

Ash continue to gasp and groan while holding his stomach, the blow was just too swift and powerful for the young 14 year old boy.

"Not much of a man is he?" Eliza joked, "Taken down with just one punch? What a weakling."

"I hope you learned your lesson, kid, but don't worry I'm a nice guy," Chaz said, walking over to Ash and May's surfboard, "I'm not going to hit you while you're on the ground, I already made my point. That punch was to get back at you for what you did to me, as well as what you did to my surfboard."

Chaz grabbed a hold of the tethers of the surfboard and began pulling it with him. May looked up in fear, still holding onto Ash who was panting on the ground. Squirtle ran up to her, sharing the tears that its trainer had cascading down her cheek.

"Since you destroyed our surfboard I think this will repay the debt," Chaz said, looking back, "We're going to take your surfboard to replace ours. Have a nice day."

Chaz and Eliza laughed as they pulled the surfboard along with them in the distance.

"No…" Ash said weakly with one eye shut, "They're taking…our surfboard…"

"Ash, what's more important is if you can still breathe!" May cried, "That hit was so loud…I…I…just…"

May pulled on Ash's body until he sat on his bottom on the sand. He finally let go of his stomach as the pain was no longer as intense as it was a few moments ago. He looked up at her in disappointment, even more so when he noticed how much she was crying.

"I'll….I'll live," Ash grunted, pushing her hands away, "But they're taking our surfboard…without it we won't be able to enter the race…and we don't have enough money to buy another one. And more importantly they're stealing from us!"

"Ash…" May said, wiping her wet cheeks with her arm.

"Squirtle…squirtle…" Squirtle whimpered, trying to comfort its master.

May stood up and looked in the distance at Chaz and Eliza tugging their surfboard. She couldn't just let them get away with this, she couldn't let Eliza do something so hurtful to her _twice. _Tripping her at the club, the blow to Ash's stomach her boyfriend gave him, as well as stealing their surfboard…it was just too much. They had gone just _too _far this time.

May's sadness suddenly turned into a will of determination. She was done crying, there was something far more important to do. Justice needed to be served, and she couldn't stand on the side and feel helpless any longer.

"Squirtle!" May commanded, looking at her Pokemon, "Come with me!"

She quickly picked up Corphish's Pokeball from the ground and turned to Ash while he still sat on the sand.

"I'm not going to let them get away with this, Ash," May assured him.

"What…what are you thinking?" Ash asked nervously.

Eliza and Chaz laughed and bantered about the scene that occurred just a minute or so before. The two walked side by side pulling the surfboard along behind them.

"Ha, you sure showed that kid what a _real _punch is like," Eliza said.

"Indeed I did, although that kid packed a powerful arm himself. My jaw still aches," Chaz said, rubbing his jaw with his right hand.

"Where do you two think you're going with my surfboard?!" a voice suddenly yelled out from behind.

Chaz and Eliza turned around quickly to see who yelled behind them. Suddenly, a girl swiftly body slammed into Eliza with her arm and pushed her to the ground severely. Eliza fell flat on her face in the sand before skidding a few inches and thus scrapping her arms.

"I hope you had a good taste of your own medicine," May said triumphantly.

"What the hell?" Chaz demanded letting go of the tether, "You just knocked my girl to the ground!"

"Ugh….that hurt!" Eliza said still moaning on the sand.

"I don't care if you're a girl, nobody pushes my girlfriend to the ground and gets away with it!" Chaz said enraged.

"Squirtle, use Ice beam!" May commanded.

"Squirtle!" the Pokemon jumped into the air and fired a beam of white and blue light to the ground.

The sand Chaz was walking on turned into slippery ice. The man quickly began to lose his balance and quickly plummeted to the ground.

"Nice job, Squirtle," May winked at her little Pokemon.

Eliza and Chaz quickly got back onto their feet and towered over the young teen girl and her baby Squirtle.

"CORPHISH, USE BUBBLEBEAM!" a voice commanded from behind.

"Corphish!" Corphish shouted as a series of swift bubbles shout out from both its pincers.

The bubbles quickly collided with Chaz and Eliza hurting them in the process, and due to them still standing on the slippery ice the two lost their balance and fell harshly to the ground once again.

Ash walked up beside May as Corphish jumped up in front of them next to Squirtle. The two trainers nodded at each other.

"Are you ready to give us back our surfboard yet?" May called out.

"Nice idea, May, no way are we going to let these people bully us and take our things away," Ash said.

"I see you're feeling better, punk!" Chaz gnarled, struggling to get up to his feet, "I'll be glad to give you another blow to your stomach as it seems like you got over the first one really fast."

"Hiding behind your Pokemon?" Eliza shouted, "Why don't you come at us yourselves instead of letting your Pokemon do the work?"

Ash and May stood there silently, only with mocking smiles with their hands on their hips.

"They're not talking are they?" Chaz asked his girl, "They think that because they got a few lucky shots in that they're tough guys, ay? Maybe I'll just ring their stinking necks right here on the beach."

"Or drown them in the ocean, whatever works best," Eliza said irritably, wiping the blood off the scrapes and cut on her arm.

Ash, May and their Pokemon continued to stand there silently, as if they were waiting for something.

"You damn kids picked the wrong person to mess with! I'll tear you two limb from limb!" Chaz shouted.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a female voice declared from the side.

"Huh?" Eliza said, looking to the right.

"Right on time," May winked at Ash.

Ash nodded and watched as Officer Jenny and three security guards approached the couple. Jenny was the familiar female police officer with blue hair that Ash and May had run into before, and the three security guards were large buff men with broad shoulders.

"I've heard reports of a fight going down on the beach!" Officer Jenny shouted, "And here I see you making death threats to a pair of kids?!"

"That's not true, Officer!" Eliza pleaded, "These kids started it!"

"She's right!" Chaz added desperately.

"I'm afraid the witnesses say otherwise," Jenny said.

She turned around as about 15-20 people walked toward the security guards and told them the story. These people saw the whole thing happening, right from the very beginning when Precita approached them. At first Ash and May were oblivious to all the people walking around them, as they were too wrapped up and focused on the overbearing people confronting them. However once May helped Ash to his feet after the blow to his stomach, she noticed that several people were cautiously watching from the sides, and some even agreed to call security.

"That's right!" an old woman declared, "I saw these two hoodlums pick on these two kids."

"They picked a fight for no reason!" another man added.

"I saw that man punch the little boy right in his stomach and take his surfboard!" a teenage girl said, "What kind of people start fights with _children?"_

"You people are under arrest for starting a fight with these kids, stealing their surfboard, as well as making death threats on their lives," Jenny declared as she motioned for the security guards to approach them, "I have about 20 witnesses here that can argue against you, I'm afraid you're not going to have it easy."

The three buff security guards quickly put hand cuffs on Eliza and Chaz and brought their hands behind their back. They pushed them along bringing them back to the boardwalk where they would then call the police. Eliza and Chaz continued to whine and groan while the guards took them away.

"I'm sorry that you kids had to run into these people. It's a real shame," Officer Jenny said.

"It's OK," May said proudly as she walked over to the surfboard and held the tether, "We know how to take care of ourselves, right, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash winked.

"Corphish, cor cor!"

"Squirtle squirtle!"

"You'll have to come to the office so we can file a report, but otherwise you kids are free to go on the beach," Jenny said happily.

"Thank you, Officer Jenny!" Ash and May said in unison.

Unbeknownst to Ash and May, two familiar people were watching what was happening from the boardwalk above. And it wasn't Max and Brock.

"Looks like our plan didn't work out as expected," Precita said disappointingly.

"The lie seemed like it worked perfectly," Dan said, "Chaz and Eliza fell for it and this way we could have gotten those little kids out of the competition as well, since without a surfboard they wouldn't be able to enter."

"Oh well," Precita shrugged, "We'll just have to destroy them in the actual race then. C'mon, Dan, let's go get something to eat."

"What? You mean we're not going to go and try to help Chaz and Eliza? I mean I know we destroyed their surfboard and all, but I thought that was just a ruse so they would take the kids' surfboard instead. They are our friends though, we should help them and come to their defense!"

"And I said who cares?" Precita replied hastily, "Big deal, we used them and they got busted. They were losers anyway, who needs Chaz and Eliza? Screw 'em, we have a race to practice for, remember?"

"Well ok…but…"

"Now c'mon, I'm in the mood for a steak medium rare," Precita licked her lips, "All this evil scheming works up an appetite you know."

Precita and Dan cackled as they walked along the boardwalk together.


	27. The calm before the storm

**Chapter 27  
****  
****"The calm before the storm"  
**  
A fully clothed Ash walked outside the suite and toward the lobby of the hotel. Pikachu, Ash's favored Pokemon, stood on his shoulder in its usual cheery demeanor. He walked through the ever bustling lobby trying to squeeze through the number of people trying to make last minute reservations. Even though he couldn't tell for sure, he knew that most people were trying to get a room for the same reason. The upcoming Pokemon surfing competition was only five days away, which meant that the hotels and the beach would be as busy as ever.

Ash held his arms behind his head happily while Pikachu jumped on top of his hat. Having spent the last two days practicing with May and their Pokemon on the race course, he was certain that they were getting better and would be ready for the time of the competition.

The boy walked toward a vending machine and popped out a soda can. He sat down on a small pink cushioned bench as Pikachu jumped off his hat and onto the couch beside him. Ash opened the can of soda and began to gulp it down quickly.

"Ahhh," he said, refreshed from the drink, "It sure is relaxing to be here, isn't it, Pikachu?"

Pikachu agreed.

"It feels like a mini-vacation in a way, with all the time spent on the beach and relaxing in the hotel," he said before taking another sip, "Although after the competition is over we'll have to head back to the Professor and work off our debt for him if we don't win."

"Chuuuu," Pikachu said.

"Heh, I'm sure Professor Latrommi will be proud for us no matter what place we come in. At least we gave it a good try," he said.

He lowered the can of soda onto his lap and sighed, "I'll feel kinda bad for May though, she still spends every night reading through the pamphlet and looking at the pictures of the swimsuits with googly-eyes."

"That's my sister for you, when it comes to bathing suits or clothing she's all over it," Max said, walking toward them.

Ash looked up quite surprised, as Max sat down next to him on the couch and started petting Pikachu in his lap. Pikachu cooed as he scratched him behind the ears.

"What are you doing up so early, Max?" Ash asked surprised, "It's 7:30am!"

"I couldn't sleep anymore. Especially with my big sister still talking in her sleep while hugging that stupid pamphlet," Max said.

"Is she still sleeping now?" Ash asked.

"Hm? No, she woke up right after I did. She's always been that way you know, as soon as I wake up she wants to know what I'm doing and where I'm going," Max said annoyed, "It's like she has a sixth sense where she knows that I woke up, and then she immediately rushes me off to the bathroom so I don't forget to brush my teeth. She's in the shower right now, so I guess she's going to come looking for us after she's done."

Ash nodded and took another drink of his soda.

"By the way, Ash," Max said, pushing his glasses further up on his face, "Do you actually _like _hugging my sister?"

Ash spat up his soda out of his mouth. He quickly wiped his mouth with his arm and turned to Max.

"Hugging?! When did I hug your sister?" Ash asked nervously.

"For the last two days while you two stand on the surfboard together. You're always holding each other around!"

"That's because we have to, Max!" Ash exclaimed, "The way those surfboards were designed is that the two people have to stand behind one another. If the person in the back isn't holding onto anything they'll fall off the surfboard because of how fast the Pokemon are going in the water."

"I know," Max laughed, he continued to rub Pikachu behind the ears, "But it seems to me like you really enjoy holding onto my sister."

"Hey c'mon!" Ash waved his arms, "Just because you watched us practice yesterday doesn't mean you know what's going on. It's just something we have to do while racing, that's all."

"I think it's a bit icky, I can't imagine myself holding a girl around for so long on a surfboard. I bet you got all of my sister's germs from holding each other so much," Max snorted.

"Yep, that's it! I'm probably contaminated from all of May's girly germs," Ash laughed, trying to edge Max off the subject.

Ash got up and tossed his empty can of soda into the wastebasket beside the couch. He turned readily to the exit of the hotel as Pikachu jumped out of Max's arms and back onto Ash's shoulder.

"Wanna come along, Max?" Ash asked.

"Uh sure, where we going?" Max wondered, getting up from the couch.

Ash and Max walked outside the hotel and started heading down the long sidewalks which led to the boardwalk. Despite the fact that it was early in the morning, there were already a lot of people roaming the boardwalk and heading down to the beach. Many of the stores and vendors were still closed however, so people were killing time by sitting on the picnic tables or heading down to the waves.

Ash had left his surfboard with the vendor down on the beach, it was too much of a hassle to keep such a large board in the hotel room. He wasn't heading to pick up his surfboard however, which got Max a bit confused as to where he was headed.

The two walked over to a small clearing on the beach where there were only a few people around, mostly old folk trying to get some peace and quiet on the sand before the noisy teenagers and kids woke up.

Ash stood still with his shoes half sunk in the white sand. The wind blew through his dark hair as he stared confidently at the shoreline. Pikachu shared its trainers' passion, there was nothing like rising up early and starting the day off right.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball, throwing it quickly up into the air as Max watched curiously.

"Come out, Swellow!" Ash called out.

The Pokeball emitted a flash of white light which soon formed into the dark blue flying type, Swellow. Ash stretched out his right arm and motioned for Swellow to quickly land on top of it. The bird did so without hesitation.

"Sorry for not getting around to this earlier, Swellow, but I think now is a good time to see how well your wings have healed," he said, patting the bird on the head.

"Swe-llow," Swellow said happily.

"You're taking Swellow out for an early morning jog?" Max asked.

"Sure, I want to make sure Swellow has healed enough and that it feels natural flying again. With all the hectic stuff about the surfing competition, I never had time to do this until now. That's why I woke up early, I want to train with Swellow before May wakes up," he said.

Swellow flapped its wings and hovered slightly above Ash's arm. Pikachu jumped on the sand next to his feet as it got on all fours. Ash got himself in a running position, ready to head down the beach.

"I'm running too!" Max said, getting into position next to Ash.

"Alright everyone, when I say go, we all jog ahead to the other end of the beach, except for Swellow, who will be flying of course," Ash said, eyeing the bird.

"Swellow!" Swellow chirped.

"Ready?"

"Set…"

"GO!"

The two humans and Pokemon took off jogging next to one another down the fairly empty segment of the beach. Ash looked up at Swellow making sure that it was keeping up with them, and much to his delight the bird had no trouble flapping its wings and keeping in the same pace. Pikachu ran on all fours triumphantly as Max started trailing behind a bit.

"Hey that's no fair!" Max yelled, "You guys can all run faster than me!"

"Try to keep up the pace, Max!" Ash shouted back, "In a race it's all about speed, timing your movement and knowing when to turn without missing a beat."

"That sounds like you're talking about the surfing race!" Max shouted, struggling to keep up to the best of his ability.

Pikachu called out to Swellow in the air, and the bird slowly swooped over Pikachu's head cheerfully.

"I've learned a lot about what it takes to win a race with Corphish and Squirtle," Ash said between gasps, "I have to be in tip-top shape along with my Pokemon, as long as we're all focused on getting to that finish line first we'll have no problem!"

Ash sped up on the sand as the beach curved to the right. Pikachu and Swellow had no problem keeping up with their trainer, but Max struggled to run as fast as he could just to keep up.

"C'mon, slow down will ya!" Max panted, "I thought this was a jog and not a race!"

"Don't they both mean running as fast as you can?" Ash asked unsurely.

"Of course not!" Max yelled ahead, "Do you even know your vocabulary, Ash? Now slow down already and let me catch up!"

"Oh…ok," Ash said, slowing down before coming to a stop. His Pokemon stopped around him as well.

Max panted while hunching over with his hands on his legs, "…I….should….have…just stayed…in bed this morning…guh…."

Ash put his hands on his hips and smiled, "Aw c'mon, Max, your sister likes running and racing a lot. Yesterday she chased me all over the whole beach because I accidentally spilled ice cream on her lap."

Ash thought to himself looking up at the sky, _It was vanilla ice cream too, all I remember her screaming about was how cold it was and how I did it on purpose. Good thing I managed to run away from her and hide until she calmed down…sheesh. _

"That's because May has longer legs than I do!" Max said, finally catching his breath, "And besides that she's too energetic for her own good. I really think my Mom should put her on medication."

Ash, Swellow and Pikachu looked at him with stunned expressions.

"I'm KIDDING!" Max chuckled.

"Uh…right," Ash laughed while looking up at Swellow, "So, buddy, you did a great job soaring the skies and keeping up with us. For someone that broke your wings and lost a lot of blood, you did fantastic. I'm glad you're yourself again, Swellow."

Swellow formed a tiny ounce of water in its eyes as it swooped down into Ash's arms. The young boy hugged his Pokemon tightly while Max and Pikachu watched approvingly.

"Let's head back to the hotel, ok, Swellow?" he asked lovingly.

"Swellow! Swell-ow!" Swelled chirped happily.

~*~*~

"Only five more days, Brock!" May said happily, brushing her brown hair with a comb while looking in the mirror.

Brock was sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning over and tying his shoe laces. After he finished securing the knot he looked up at her and smiled.

"Only five more days, huh? I think I'll be able to manage…" he said. He then lowered his voice and muttered something under his breath, "And hopefully get lucky too."

Both Brock and May were wearing their regular clothes. May had just gotten out of the shower ten minutes ago, and was busy fixing her hair before she tied her red bandana on her head. While Brock's bathing suit was still in his drawer, May was already prepared for the upcoming day at the beach.  
Since she knew she would be spending most of the afternoon surfing with Ash again, she decided to wear her bikini underneath her clothes instead of her underwear. It was easier to just strip down on the beach, rather than to scurry back to the hotel and change into a bikini.

"I'm so cute!" May squealed, giving herself a compliment staring in the mirror. She placed her comb aside and continued looking at herself with sparkling eyes, "I love being me!"

She pranced away from the mirror and strapped her yellow fanny pack around her waist.

"You're really cheerful today," Brock said, "I'm glad you were able to get over that incident down on the beach so quickly."

May put her left hand on her hip and bit her bottom lip, something she made a habit of doing when she was uncertain or uneasy about something.

"Its…its been a day ago since that happened. I don't really like to keep my mind on stuff like that, it makes me get depressed if I keep thinking about the bad stuff."

"Has Ash talked to you about it at all? I was quite shocked and angry when the two of you told me about those two scumbags who tried to steal your surfboard. I'm just wondering if you and Ash had a conversation about it in private," Brock asked.

May turned around, taking two steps toward the open window near the sink. She took a deep breath, and held her hands against her chest.

"We…talked about it a little bit…mostly when we had to tell everything that happened to Officer Jenny. We mostly tried to put it behind us though, Ash was more willing to move on than I was," May said. She hesitated a bit and then continued, "But no, we didn't talk about it at all after that or even yesterday."

Brock got up from the bed and walked toward her as she turned around. As her friend and the "big brother" of the group, he wanted to make sure that everything was alright.

"I envy you and Ash, you know that?" Brock said grinning.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"I've always wanted to remain positive and upbeat in hurtful times too, but I end up dwelling on the situation too much and getting myself into a rut. It happened to me all the time when my mother and father abandoned my family, forcing me to take care of my siblings all by myself," he said slowly, "I'm glad the two of you can move on so quickly and easily."

"Oh," she said, looking at the floor.

"Even though Ash isn't here at the moment, I really wanted to apologize to the two of you. I should have done it yesterday, but anyway I'm really sorry that I was too busy goofing off with Tana and Jamie when you needed me," Brock confessed, "I should have been down there on the beach with you. I could have stopped that whole fight from even happening, I would have certainly shown those people a thing or two had I been with you at the time."

"Thanks, Brock," May said with a smile, "We both know that if you were there you would have helped us, there's no doubt about it. I'm glad that Ash and I have a friend as great as you."

"Hey now, I was just saying, that's all," Brock said, trying to avoid any unwarranted praise, "I can see that you were able to take of yourselves though, and that's what counts."

May nodded sincerely.

"One thing though, do you still want to keep what happened a secret from Max?" he asked.

"Yes!" May uttered quickly, almost as soon as Brock said the last syllable. She was uptight with the idea of her brother knowing what happened, and she didn't want him to be worrying about her. She loved her brother too much to get him involved in the issue.

"Alright, I won't tell Max a thing," Brock said, noticing how uneasy she was.

"Yea, I just think it's best for Max to be in the dark about this. I don't want to upset him," she said.

Brock scratched his chin and went into a train of thought.

"Hmmm, maybe this time I'll spend the day with you and Ash," Brock said, "I know Tana and Jamie asked me to spend the day with them in the hot springs, but I feel kind of bad knowing what happened the last time I left you guys alone."

"Whoa…what?!" May exclaimed, "Did I just hear you correctly? Did I just hear, "The Brock," turn down a date with two attractive girls to spend the the whole day looking out for me and Ash instead? I think the universe is about to implode!"

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, even if it comes to letting two totally gorgeous girls get away," Brock sighed.

"Nonononoonononnonno!" a giddy May shouted, jumping right in front of him, "We'll be fine! You can't let your one lucky break get away from you…or wait…since there's two girls isn't that two lucky breaks?"

"Uhhhh…something like that."

"I think these girls really like you, Brock, you should spend as much time with them as possible!" she squealed.

"_Really _like me? They're all over me!" Brock exclaimed, "Yesterday I don't think I went a couple of seconds without one of them grabbing onto my arms."

May was quite enthusiastic about Brock finding love. She was always fascinated by the idea of love and romance herself, and knowing Brock's less than stellar love life in the past, or lack thereof, she really wanted to see him succeed for once.

"That's so awesome, Brock! You should really introduce Jamie and Tana to us," she said.

"Yeah, they know that I'm staying at the beach with my friends but I never really found a good opportunity to introduce you guys to them," Brock grinned, "In fact, they even offered me a bed to sleep on in their hotel room and spend the night with them, but I declined and said that I'm already staying at a room with my friends. I barely even got the words out! You don't know how much it took for me to control myself and not sleep with…errr…I mean sleep _over _with them in their room. That takes real willpower right there."

He began to sob almost humorously.

"Although part of me wishes I didn't turn down that offer!" he cried, wiping the sleeve of his arm over his eyes.

"Silly, Brock, sleepovers can be fun!" May said, not really understanding the concept that Brock was talking about.

"I'm sure _those _sleepovers can be fun, but you're not thinking about the same sleepovers that they were thinking about," Brock mumbled.

"Huh?" May asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh nothing, never mind that. If your parents knew what I was talking to you about they'd kill me, especially your father. Hoo boy, you're too young to be listening to this kind of stuff anyway," he said.

"Eh…I'm still not following you," she said confused.

"That's good!" Brock said quickly, "Time to change the subject, yes?"

"Ok…" she said disappointingly, "I just think those two girls seem really nice and caring."

She scratched her right arm shyly when Brock didn't answer right away. Her eyes began to wander around the room, she didn't know what else to say.

"You wanna see Ash, don't you?" he asked knowingly.

"Heh…yeah I do," May said as she smiled.

"I could tell, you seem to be a little impatient. You're spending a lot more time with Ash than usual."

"You…you noticed?"

"Well its become blatantly apparent, ever since you were turned into infants back when we first met Professor Latrommi. I'm sure you still feel that fondness toward him when you held him as an infant."

"I do," May blushed, "I've…always admired and liked Ash, but I dunno…now I just feel more attached to him for some reason?"

"Heh, how's about we start heading out and finding where Max and Ash are? We can talk on the way," he said.

Brock opened the hotel room door and motioned for her to walk outside with him. May and Brock walked on the catwalks of the hotel, heading toward the lobby.

She turned around and nodded politely to him, "Again, thanks for having this conversation with me, Brock. It means a lot."

"I can be useful from time to time. I'm not totally background material, you know," Brock joked.

"Tee hee, no not at all!" May giggled.

"One thing still bothers me about the people you ran into though, did you ever find out why Precita and her friends tried to pick fights with you?" he asked.

"They just like to make fun of me, probably because the first thing I did was accidentally step on Precita's bag when I walked into the club. Some people hold a grudge over such stupid things."

"Or maybe they're just rotten people to begin with."

"I just hope I don't bump into Precita and her boyfriend again for the next five days. I know they're going to be competing in the surfing competition, but I don't want to see her face before then."

"If I _ever _see those people, I'll make sure to give them a good piece of my mind. Hopefully they've learned their lesson after they got their friends arrested," Brock said, crossing his arms.

"Some people never learn, sadly," May sighed.

*~*~*~

The gang spent the rest of the day together relaxing on the shoreline of the beach. Brock made sure to keep a watchful eye on Ash, May and Max this time, somewhat miffed that he wasn't there to come to their aid last time. When they wanted to swim in the water after lunch, May stripped into her bikini right on the beach. Max and Ash got pretty nervous when they saw May talking off her shirt right in front of them, but they were relieved when she had her tight dark red top on underneath. She slipped off her skirt and shorts revealing the bottom of her bikini as well, and left her clothes on their towels and lounge chairs that they were resting on.

May noticed Ash and Max's shocked expressions as she walked past them, holding her hands behind her back.

"You two can stop staring now," May said slyly, looking back at them.

"I was more worried than anything," Max scoffed, "You can be totally unpredictable that I never know what's going on in your mind."

"Hey cool it, Max!" May scolded, "I'd have to be a little sick in the head if I were to let my little brother see me naked. For someone that's soooo smart you sure lack common sense."

"You're crazy! I didn't think you were actually going to change in front of us, I kind of figured you were wearing your bathing suit on underneath. It's still frustrating to see my sister start taking off her shirt in broad daylight out of nowhere!" Max retaliated.

May rolled her eyes. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I let anyone see me with no clothes on!" she said as she ran toward the waves.

_I already did, _Ash thought, remembering the time he walked in on her, when she was stepping out of the shower when he was just an infant back at the lab.

He continued staring at her reluctantly as she swam in the water trying not to be knocked over by the large waves.

"Whaddya say we all head in too?" Brock motioned, "We just gotta change back at the hotel."

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu cheered, staying in the shallow water was more than enough to keep Pikachu content.

"I'll go in too, as long as my sister doesn't try to drown me again," Max sighed, "Uh….Ash?"

Ash didn't respond, he just continued watching her in the water.

"He-llooooooooo?" Max mocked, waving his hand in front of Ash's eyes.

"Eh? What is it, Max?" Ash asked, startled.

"We're going to go get changed! Maybe if you could pry your eyes away from my sister for a second you can come with us and get changed too!" Max said.

"Why do you and Brock keep saying things like that lately?!" Ash asked angrily, "I'm not looking at her anymore than I usually do, I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"Don't blame me from waking you up from a catatonic stare," Max said snootily, waving his finger.

"Fine," Ash said hastily, "C'mon, Pikachu, let's get going."

Pikachu jumped on his shoulder as he walked through the sand somewhat frustrated.

"You know I'm just playing games with you, right, Ash?" Max said apologetically, trying to catch up to him, "I don't really think you like looking at someone as icky as my sister!

Ash barely heard the boy as he was busy thinking. _I wonder if she remembers, I still feel guilty about seeing her naked when I shouldn't have. She forgave me for it but still, now I'm thinking about this again, after so long too. _

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked, noticing that Ash was troubled.

"Nothing, Pikachu," Ash shook his head.

_She also hasn't been completely honest with me about how she first met Precita and her friends. Something must have happened at that club to get them to hate her so much, but for some reason she doesn't want to talk about it, _he thought, _In any case, I'll look forward to practicing with her again later today, and hopefully get her to tell me the whole story. I don't want her to have to face her problems by herself and keep them all bottled up inside… _

_…she has me to listen to her and do anything for her. I hope she knows that. _

*~*~*

"It's a pleasure meeting your friends, Brock," Tana said.

"I agree, I was hoping you would introduce us to them," Jamie added.

Ash, May, Max and Brock were dripping wet after swimming in the beach. Tana and Jamie had spotted Brock on the beach, and after some formal introductions, the two girls didn't hesitate to make conversation with the gang.

Brock was still taken back at how gorgeous the two women were. Tana had glowing red hair which went down to her shoulders, and a cute face that would brighten up even the stormiest of days. Her white bikini nearly drove him wild, seeing as how it resembled women's underwear more than a bathing suit. Jamie had long green hair down her back, she was the more assertive of the two girls, with a cheerful orange bikini that showed off her figure. Even after spending the last two days with them, Brock still couldn't decide which girl he liked more. They were both nice girls with fun, energetic attitudes, neither of them giving Brock a hard time. On the other hand, maybe choosing wasn't even an option, as the two girls have shown no resentment over both "sharing" him.

May and Tana manged to hit it off right away, especially since Tana revealed that she used to be a Pokemon Coordinator a few years ago. The girls sat on their legs on the towel that was spread out over the sand. May didn't hesitate to tell her past accomplishments in the numerous Contests and the Grand Festival that she had competed in. They ended up spending a good hour chatting away about techniques to use in Contests, as well as other subjects such as shopping and possible love interests.

Jamie on the other hand, spent more time getting to know Ash and Max. Brock had explained that Ash and May would be competing in the surfing competition in a few days, and that's why they were staying at the beach. Jamie found that amusing, since she and Tana had entered the same competition last year and came in the very last place. This year they thought it was best to just watch the competition instead of compete in it, especially since they heard rumors that the competition would have an extra "twist" to it this year. Ash took special note of this extra twist that the competition could have, especially since nothing was listed about it in the pamphlet they had.

As the day wore on, so did the tension. Pikachu, Brock, Max, Tana and Jamie watched from the sidelines as Ash and May practiced atop their surfboard with Corphish and Squirtle again. Only this time, it became apparent that Tana and Jamie were getting a bit restless and wanted to be alone with Brock again. Brock refused however, as he wanted to see how well Ash and May had improved, as well as be there in case Precita and Dan managed to show up. Brock realized that perhaps he was digging a hole that he couldn't crawl out of, but he considered his friendship with Ash and May to be far more important than his potential love life.

Corphish and Squirtle zigzagged through three large pillars, pulling the surfboard and their trainers along behind them. After they successfully made it through without hitting the pole, Ash told them to take a break and wade in the water a bit.

Ash, who was standing behind May on the surfboard and holding her around, motioned for her to look over in the direction of Brock and the others on the sand.

"Do you really think those two girls are as nice as they seem?" Ash asked, curiously.

"I think so, I spent nearly an hour chatting with Tana and she seems like a really awesome person," May said, turning toward Ash, "Do you suspect something?"

"I dunno," he said uncertainly, "Something just seems off about this whole thing. Two girls totally falling in love with Brock and willing to share him? That sounds pretty crazy to me."

"You don't know much about love, do you, Ash?" May joked.

"Like you would know?" he retaliated.

May rubbed her toe innocently on the bottom of the surfboard, "Love can strike in many different ways, I think I'm beginning to realize that now. I just think those two girls really like him, and I'm pretty happy for Brock y'know?"

"Maybe," he grunted, "This love stuff has always been so confusing."

"It is…" May said softly.

She reached out and held his hand tenderly. Ash smiled as the two continued to look over in the direction of Brock, Pikachu, Max and the girls.

"…it is," she repeated.

~*~*~

It was 9:30pm. The group were in their sleeping clothes, sitting on their beds in the hotel room. Brock once again turned down Tana and Jamie's offer to sleep over in their room, and decided it was best to stay in his own room with his friends again.

Ash and May had a brief talk about how she met Precita, and he was furious when she showed him the now light scrapes on the bottom of her arms. She said that Eliza was the one who tripped her, the blonde one who was taken away by the security guards two days ago. Ash put his hands on May's shoulders and promised her that he wouldn't let anything like this happen to her again.

"I'll make sure to take better care of myself next time too," she responded, "You're the best, Ash."

Suddenly, the video phone ringed in their room.

"Ring, ring ring, phone call! Phone call!" the electronic voice said on the green videophone.

"I wonder whose calling us," Max said sleepily as he opened the covers of his bed.

"I got it," Ash said, turning the dial on the videophone.

The monitor turned on to reveal Professor Latrommi through the transceiver. He was in his usual jovial manner, with his big nose taking up the majority of the video screen and his balding scalp filling up the rest.

"Professor!" Ash said surprised, "I didn't expect you to call us."

"I wanted to hear some progress on how you and the rest of the funky bunch were doing," Professor Latrommi chortled, "The surfing competition is in five days, I hope you kids have been practicing on the race course by now."

"We sure have, Professor!" May said exuberantly, pushing Ash aside so that her face was in front of the video phone, "Ash and I are the ones who are entering the race!"

Unknowingly, she had her hand pressed against Ash's cheek in which the boy struggled to move away quite humorously.

"You and the boy? Aha! That's splendid! Splendid indeed! Remember, I need that prize money to repay the debt in my lab," Latrommi replied, rubbing his bald dome.

"We're doing our best!" May said zestfully.

Ash finally managed to move her hand away and brought his face back in front of the monitor.

"Professor, did you ever get that new shipment of mechanical arms from Devon corp?" Ash asked.

"Why I most certainly did, they were shipped to me just yesterday in fact. They were a pain in the behind to install and program, but what the hey, at least now I don't have to do all that work by hand again. Of course, the money you win will reimburse me for having to buy that new pair of arms," Latrommi said.

"We heard you the first time, Professor," Ash laughed.

"Money, money, money. You don't let us forget about that stuff do you?" May giggled, "One-track mind, eh, Professor Latrommi?"

"Getting sassy I see? I'm just reminding you kids that _you're _the ones who destroyed the arms in the first place, and that I'm still waiting for the debt to be repaid," he said, "Now then, why don't you kids go back outside and start surfing again. You guys need to be perfect, ya hear?!"

"But it's 9:30 at night!" Ash frowned, "We were practicing all day, we're just about ready to fall asleep!

"Practice makes perfect my boy, besides, don't you have an extra incentive to surf for as many hours as possible?" Latrommi insinuated.

"Eh?" Ash grunted.

"You know, the girl sitting right next to you. Who wouldn't want to hold onto _that _all day?" Latrommi laughed.

"Hey!" May said irritated, "I could do without the comments, Professor!"

"Now, now, calm down. Just remember, only a few days left! So long kids, I'm hanging up," Latrommi said, turning off the video monitor.

"Goodbye, Professor," Ash said, walking away from the videophone.

~*~*~

The rest of the days on the beach went by quickly, and before they knew it, the day of the surfing competition had finally arrived!

A large stadium filled with hundreds of people surrounded the obstacle course, getting a good view of the action. There were also many stands and seats around the side of the beach, the staff made sure that there was enough places for everyone to sit. The crowd was bustling with excitement and cheer, everyone was getting ready for the race to start.

On the first row of seats that overlooked the course from the raised stadium above, Brock, Max, Pikachu, Tana and Jamie sat next to each other waiting to cheer on their friends during the race. They had what could be considered the best seats in the house, since they got a fantastic view of nearly the entire obstacle course. Max cheered happily as he was drinking his soda and eating pop corn. Brock was sharing a corn dog with Jamie, while Tana and Pikachu were each holding their own cotton candy cone.

The various staff members and announcers for the race were getting ready for the big event. A large loudspeaker was placed above all the stands, so everyone could hear the race commentary from the announcer and the judges.

The waves broke against the sand where over 30 different pairs of people stood next to their surfboards on the sand. Their various Pokemon were all out of their Pokeballs as well, however the rules dictated that the tethers could only be tied around the Pokemon until after the race starts. It was much more exciting to see the trainers scramble to tie the tethers around their Pokemon after the signal was fired, as the ones who secured the ropes around their Pokemon faster got a head start over others in the race.

Ash and May stood diligently next to their surfboard, with Corphish and Squirtle eager to put all their training to the test.

"The competition looks strong," Ash said, noticing the various evolved Water Pokemon the other trainers were using.

"No doubt about it, this is not going to be an easy race. Corphish, Squirtle, you guys are going to give it your all, right?" May asked enthusiastically.

"Cor-phish!" Corphish cheered.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle said, clinging to May's leg.

"Just don't get worried, Squirtle, you'll do just as good as those other Water Pokemon if you put your mind to it," May said, patting her Squirtle softly, "We've practiced for the last seven days for this moment, you can do it."

"Squirtle!" Squirtle said with confidence.

"Hey, May," Ash said, nudging her elbow.

"What is it?"

"Over there on the other side, I think I see Precita and Dan," Ash said with disapproval.

May squinted her eyes, peering over to where the other participants were standing.

"Yeah that's them," May said annoyed, "I'm so glad we didn't bump into them again till now."

Precita flicked her dark black hair in the wind and grinned as she eyed the competition. Dan was too busy groping her through her tight purple bikini to bother looking at what his opponents offered.

"Hands off, Dan," Precita said, pushing his hands off her breasts, "I wanna see if I can spot if that little girl is here."

"You mean May and that other kid, right? I'm sure they're here somewhere, probably on the other side," Dan said, looking at the other surfers.

"Pick up the surfboard, I don't want to start from this angle," Precita declared.

"What? Are you kidding me? If we start at this angle we'll have a clear advantage over the other surfers," he replied.

"Stop second guessing me and do as I say already, damnit!" Precita said angrily, "I don't want to start here. I want to start right next to May."

"Ah, I get it now. Wipe her out early on in the race and crush her dreams, eh?" Dan said, pulling on the tether of the surfboard.

"Not just that, I want to completely obliterate her," Precita said, "That girl quite frankly makes me sick. So naïve and trusting, I feel like ramming her into a wall. Her friend seems pathetic as well, it'll be satisfying to completely knock them overboard in the race."

"Hm, good call. Should we let our Pokemon out of their Pokeballs yet? All the other trainers have theirs out," Dan said.

"After we find where that brunette girl is," Precita said, still looking through the crowd, "I want to formally introduce our Pokemon to her. I want her to know which Pokemon will cause her a great deal of pain during the race, that way I can savior the moment afterwards."

"Sounds good."

"No, sounds _exhilarating_," Precita smirked, "I'm going to break her, and I'm going to enjoy it."


	28. Ready, set, GO!

**Chapter 28  
****  
****Ready, set, GO!  
**  
The roaring crowd in the stands shouted with glee awaiting the start of the surfing competition. People were ranting and raving, some even throwing confetti and popping wine bottles. Various security guards and Officer Jenny's were on duty just in case things got a little too hectic. Vendors were walking through the stands offering people to buy hot dogs, pop corn or cotton candy. The stadium seats were nearly packed to its fullest with people, it seemed like just about everyone knew at least one of the participants in the race. Needless to say, this was a highly anticipated event.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu shouted with its paws in front of its mouth, it was standing on the railing of the seats so it could be spotted easily.

No matter how far away he was, Ash always heard Pikachu when he called for him. Ash turned his head and looked up at the stadium seats which towered nearly 10 feet above him, as well as a few miles away from where he was standing. Once he spotted his best buddy, Ash waved cheerfully back at Pikachu from the starting line.

"GOOD LUCK, ASH, MAY!" Max shouted from his seat.

"I hope your sister does well, Max!" Tana said, plucking a piece of cotton candy and sticking it in her mouth, "She's such a sweet person, she deserves to win those swimsuits."

"Thanks, Tana, I really like how much you and my sister have become good friends," Max said, looking over at Brock and Jamie.

Max was sitting on the left with a popcorn bag in his lap and a soda can on the side of the bench, Pikachu was standing on the railing in front of Max, while Brock and Jamie were sitting next to each other sharing a corn dog, and Tana was beside them on the right.

"Your sis is a real fun gal," Tana said as she warmly, pushing her sunglasses up from her eyes and onto the top of her fiery red hair.

"Thank you," Max said, a bit flustered.

"I want it in my mouth," Jamie demanded, turning to Brock.

"There's only a little bit of it left, why can't I eat the last bite?" Brock whined.

"Are ya sure about that?" she asked seductively, stroking his leg underneath the railing.

"Well…I…uh…" Brock felt himself sweating, 'Ok, it's all yours. How's about I feed you?"

Brock took the last piece of the corndog and pushed it inside Jamie's mouth, the girl crunched down on it quickly and snickered. After chewing for a few seconds, she began to ask a question that has been on her mind for awhile.

"Are we ever going to be able to convince you to spend the night with us, Brock?" Jamie asked, "You've turned us down the past six days."

"I've told you, Jamie, I have to be there for my friends just in case something goes wrong," Brock said, crossing his arms, "I spend most of the day with you two anyway, I don't see what the difference is."

Jamie curled her long green hair with her finger, "I love it when a man plays hard-to-get," she laughed.

"Oh knock it off already, Jamie," Tana said, nudging her elbow, "Let's just enjoy the race for the time being, you know, the reason we're sitting in the stadium?"

"You always were the sensible one," Jamie said disappointingly, leaning back in her seat.

"If you two really need me that much I'll be more than happy to go into the hot springs with you again after the race is over," Brock said, his hormones getting the best of him again.

"Really?!" Tana and Jamie asked in unison.

"Sure. I hope you can understand, it's hard to juggle time between my friends and my uh…friends that are girls," he said uncertainly.

"You should have just said girlfriends, Brock," Max squealed.

"Pika!" Pikachu laughed.

"Quiet, Max!" Brock quickly shushed him.

"Mmmmm, hot springs with Brock again, wheeeee!" Tana squealed.

"Are we going to go into the springs with bathing suits on or without them? They do allow you to bathe there in the nude, you know," Jamie said, putting her hand on his shoulder, moving her mouth closer to his ear, "It would be nice to see you in the flesh, if you know what I mean."

Brock stuttered, "C'mon, Jamie, there's a child present!"

"Huh?" Jamie looked over at Max, who shyly turned his head away.

"I'm not listening…honestly," Max uttered, sipping the straw of his soda can innocently.

"I told you to take it easy and relax a bit, Jamie!" Tana bantered, pulling her friend away from Brock and into her seat.

"I get a little carried away sometimes, sorry," Jamie said, blushing.

Tana grinned slyly. "What's the matter, Jamie, I'm not fun enough for you anymore?"

"Hot springs with a guy is totally different," Jamie said, "You're the appetizer, he's the main course."

Brock looked over in Max's direction and sighed.

"For your sake, Max, I hope what they're saying goes in through one ear and out the next," he said, "They're a little nuts, but that's beside the point."

"O….k…" Max said, raising an eyebrow.

~*~*~

"I wonder what's taking so long for them to signal the start of the race," May wondered.

"It is taking a long time, maybe they weren't expecting this many people or something," Ash responded, "There's so many people participating and so many people watching, that's a lot of people!"

"A super-duper lot of people!" she added.

Ash and May leaned against their surfboard, sharing last minute thoughts together before the start of the race. He was wearing his black swimming trunks, while she was wearing her dark red two-piece bikini as expected. Corphish and Squirtle were standing within an inch of the water, almost impatient about wanting to put their training from the last six days to the test.

Next to them stood several other pairs of surfers and their Pokemon, mostly people in their late teens or early twenties. Pokemon such as Sealeo, Tentacruel, Wartortle, Feraligatr, Milotic, Corsola, Quilfish, Golduck, Walimer, Goldeen, and Luvdisc were ready to be used by the various couples entering the race. They were getting as restless as their trainers, wading around aimlessly while waiting for the start of the competition.

May looked up at the bright blue sky and began to reminisce about the past week they spent on the beach. Ash encouraged her to continue telling her thoughts about the last few days, it was always a pleasure to hear her talk about the time they spent together. They talked about the restaurants, the hotel, swimming, meeting Tana and Jamie, the unfortunate incident with Chaz and Eliza, and of course, the moments they shared together while practicing for the surfing competition. Despite surfing together for the last six days, Ash and May still got those same amazing feelings radiating through their bodies since the very first time they held each other on the surfboard. No matter how many times or how comfortable they got holding each other around the waist, those same exhilarating feelings of attachment and affection struck them each and every time they held each other. The feeling was mutual, and even though both felt a little squeamish about the subject, they could feel that certain spark inside each other that wasn't as prevalent as before. It wasn't just the surfing moments either, during their days on the beach the two almost longed to spend as much time together as possible. Something was changing, it was happening gradually and slowly, but it was changing nonetheless.

"Today is the big day, it's everything we worked toward for the last week," Ash said, resting his elbows on the top of the surfboard.

"We must have gone through those obstacle courses a dozen times, but even now the real race track doesn't seem that daunting," May said, "I guess I'll know in another hour or so if I'll have those swimsuits to come back to the hotel with."

"You _will _get those swimsuits, May," Ash said proudly, "There's no doubt about that."

May nodded, although a somewhat uncertain smile appeared on her face.

**…Yesterday night…**

She lied on her stomach on the bed, her legs kicking in the air and her hands holding up her face. The pamphlet rested on the bed in front of her, turned to the page that pictured the 15 different two-piece bikinis. It was the night before the competition, the calm before the storm.

The lights in the room were out, everyone else was already asleep. The only one awake was a sweet little girl who had her heart set on winning the prize. She pressed her fingers gently against the shallow piece of paper, trying to feel the bikinis as if they were real. She knew she was becoming a tad obsessive, but every night she opened up the pamphlet and stared at the swimsuit pictures before she went to bed. This night however, being the last night before the race, was different. She let her messy brown hair dangle in front of her eyes, yet through the strands of her hair she could still see the images on the paper.

In just one day, she would know whether or not she would be bringing these swimsuits back with her to the hotel. She yawned as her eyes almost shut on her, but she lazily gazed at the pages one last time. To anyone else, they were just nice swimsuits with unique designs that would probably be hard to find anywhere else. To May however, they were special.

Ash sleepily turned in his bed, opening an eye slightly to see if she was still awake. Much to his surprise, she was. He didn't get up from his bed or ask her why she was still awake, instead he lie sleepily with one eye opened, gazing at the girl on the bed next to him.

She heard him rustle in his bed and peered over in his direction, but due to the room being dark she couldn't make out whether his eyes were opened or closed. She smiled sweetly at him for a second, and then shifted her eyes back to the swimsuits.

_Go to sleep already, May, _Ash thought to himself, struggling to stay awake.

She rubbed her right eye in the darkness, and promised herself that she would take one last look at her favorite swimsuit before she went to sleep. It was the pink two-piece with a Skitty face imprinted on the right part of the top and a Torchic face imprinted on the backside of the bottom. It was her favorite swimsuit, one that easily stuck out to her more so than the rest. It needed to be hers, one way or another, she wanted that bikini more than any other piece of apparel in her life.

Ash struggled to keep an eye open to watch her, already figuring that the Skitty/Torchic bikini was the one she was looking at. _Go to sleep, May…we'll win that bikini tomorrow, just close your eyes for now. _

He could stay awake no longer, and the young boy doze off into a slumber. When he started to snore a few moments later, May finally got the urge to go to slumberland as well. She pulled up the covers and slid her body underneath them, holding the pamphlet in her arms above the covers. Her head rested softly on the pillow, looking over in Ash's direction, _I'm going to try my hardest tomorrow, I'll do it for the both of us. _Her eyes shut, falling to sleep while still clutching the pamphlet. Tomorrow would be the moment of truth…

**…Present… **

"Sorry for the delay folks, but the annual Pokemon surfing competition held here at Atona beach will begin in just 15 minutes," the announcer said, "I am your host Fredrick Sooklehimer, who will proudly narrate the events of the race as they occur. We're gearing up for a speeeeeecial race this time around folks, so hold onto your seats, because this one will be a shocker, literally!"

"It's the same guy hosting the race as last year," Tana said disappointingly.

"Is that bad thing?" Max asked.

"No, it's not that. It's just his sarcastic comments he made when me and Jamie lost the race last year," Tana clucked her tongue, "We came in dead last as you know, it wasn't a pretty picture."

"I have nightmares still thinking about the number of times we crashed and got knocked around during that race. Some of the competition can be brutal, they'll ram right into you and knock you off your surfboard," Jamie detailed, "It took us about 10 extra minutes to cross the finish line after everyone else did. We were like the laughing stock of the participants last year."

"Heehe, you two must have really sucked then, huh?" Max said gleefully.

Brock got tense and looked down at Max nervously. Apparently the choice of vocabulary didn't settle too well with Brock with the girls beside him. He sat as still as a statue trying to phase out any signs of awkwardness.

Fredrick projected his voice on the loudspeaker to the crowd. He had a head full of dark hair that was parted in the middle, and a slim flimsy mustache which went into curls on both ends. He wore a blue suit and slacks, and a tie that had a picture of a young lady running on the beach. His accent had a hint of French in it, although at the same time he spoke with a very prestige voice.

"Alright folks, in the meantime as we set-up a few of our "obstacles" on the course, I'll detail the rules of the race for both the participants and the spectators!"

"Great, here's hoping he says the stuff that wasn't listed in the pamphlet," May said, moving away from the surfboard, she was ready to listen intently to the man on the platform above.

"Funny you should mention the pamphlet, seeing as how you never bothered to read all the other pages and just focused on the ones with the swimsuit pictures," Ash said jovially.

"Hardy har har, Ash," May said smugly, "You can't blame a girl for getting a little sidetracked with all the cute bikini prizes."

"More like totally obsessed," Ash bantered, "I'm surprised you're even awake today with how late you stayed up last night oogling the swimsuit pictures."

"It wasn't that late! And besides, I did kinda…skim through the rules afterwards…more or less," May sweat-dropped in a flustered manner, seeing that Ash wasn't buying her story, "Ok, Ash, I admit, maybe I _am _a little too excited about those swimsuits. I'd…be content if I won just one of those swimsuits. I really don't need all 15 now that I think about it."

"Yeah, but you'll sure be disappointed if you don't win that Skitty/Torchic bikini, won't ya?" Ash insinuated.

"True," she frowned, staring at the ground.

Ash and May exchanged glances before their attention turned to Fredrick who was continuing his announcement.

"This is it people!" Fredrick shouted into his microphone, "We're talking about a one-lap race through our carefully constructed obstacle course! Trainers will surf on their surfboard and avoiding obstacles in the water while their Water Pokemon pull them along. Know this trainers, Pokemon attacks on opposing Pokemon are allowed as long as it isn't purposely bullying an opponent! If we catch a team spending all their time trying to knock another team out of the race, our judges will have to give you a 15 second penalty!"

"Hm, so we can tell our Pokemon to use attacks to slow down our opponents. I was wondering about that," Ash said in a determined manner.

"If the tethers tied around your Pokemon rip during the race, then oh boy are YOU in trouble! A tether ripping from one Pokemon is fine, but if both tethers rip you are hereby **DISQUALIFIIIIIIIIIED!" **Fredrick shouted, spitting into the microphone, "Since this competition is about how much stamina your Pokemon have, you will have to rely on them during the entire race. If the tethers rip, you have nothing to pull along your surfboard with and you're outta here! If your Pokemon gets tired and gives up, it's tough luck, cookies!"

"I hope you bought strong tethers, Ash!" May said bluntly.

"The storekeeper said they were the strongest material around, or something like that," he replied, barely remembering what the guy said in the shop.

"And, Corphish, you better make sure not to accidentally cut the tethers with your pincers!" she instructed, hovering over the Pokemon.

"Pheesh," Corphish grunted, waving its pincer in a know-it-all manner.

"I'd like to see that attitude during the race, Corphish," she said, leaning against the surfboard again, "You can go into a Bubblebeam and Crabhammer frenzy as long as you're not aiming it at the people but the surfboard and the Pokemon."

"Eh, let's not get Corphish too carried away," he said anxiously.

"Nevermind, Ash, Corphish! This is an opportunity to let out all your loose energy," she raised both her fists in an energetic manner, "Go nuts! Go insane! We need all that feisty energy to propel us to first place!"

"Cor-phish! CORPHISH," Corphish grinned, raising its pincers.

"May, I think you're going nuts yourself," he replied, covering his face.

"Nonsense, Ash! You saw how energetic Corphish was when it was Bubblebeaming the heck out of everything when you tried to tie the tether around it that very first time. We NEED that kind of stuff in the race. It's just like when I tell my Pokemon to focus their energy on a certain attack for a Contest, we need all that loose energy directed at our opponents. Right, Squirtle?"

Squirtle nodded.

"And what if we get disqualified for attacking another team?" Ash asked.

"We're not going to attack anyone, silly, we're just going to use the attacks to distract our competition and then propel ahead of them. Whatever is fair is fair!" she squealed.

"I guess I can see that strategy working, but we'll also have to use Squirtle and Corphish for defense against opposing attacks too," Ash put his hand to his chin and began to think, "Since we're up against all Water Pokemon, we're probably going to get hit by a lot of water attacks. You guys need to be ready on both defense and offense!"

Corphish and Squirtle listened intently. Ash started to give another piece of advice before he was distracted by Fredrick from above.

"To continue, if a trainer falls off the surfboard at anytime during the race, the surfboard must stop in its tracks and wait for the other trainer to climb back aboard. For example, if a surfboard crosses the finish line with only one human standing on top, then they are **DISQUALIFIIIIIED! **Both humans have to be standing on the surfboard when we come to the close, so if someone falls off, better stop in your tracks and wait for them to come back on!" Fredrick shouted, "Make no doubt, this will be a bumpy ride folks! Surfboards will constantly be bumping into one another, and you are allowed to forcefully knock your opponents off the surfboard to your advantage. Just remember only do what is necessary, any extra or persistent force against the same people will be met with a 15 second penalty, and if caught on repeat offenses then you are **DISQUALIFIIIIIIIIIIED. **If your Pokemon faint on the course for whatever reason, you are **DISQUALIFIIIIIIED. **If your surfboard breaks into itty, bitty pieces and you have nothing left to stand on, you of course, are **DISQUALIFIIIIIIIIED!" **

"Must he keep putting the same annoying emphasis on "disqualified?" Sheesh," Max said annoyed.

"He's actually a bit toned down from last year," Tana said, "Last year he ended up stripping while watching the race because it was too hot for him in his suit."

"Is that a fact?" Brock asked.

"And finally, there will be some surprises during the race. Don't be too "shocked" by what you may encounter as you ride the waves. This is a new installment for this years' race specifically, so put your pedal to the metal, or rather your Pokemon to the water, and get ready to have a grand time!" Fredrick declared.

The crowd roared with cheer as Fredrick took a bow to the audience. There was more excitement here than even in a Pokemon league stadium.

"The race shall begin in just five minutes folks, I suggest all participants let their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs now. Have them standing right near the water, as you'll have to tie the tethers around them after we signal the start of the race," he shouted.

"I'm so excited!" May squealed, jumping into the air, "I've been waiting all week for this moment and it's finally here!"

"By the way, do you want me to stand in the front and hold the tethers, since I'll instruct them when to turn and whatnot," Ash asked.

"Sure, Ash, we can always switch positions during the race if we need to anyway. I'll hold onto ya real tight though, just like always," she said flirtatiously, winking at him.

Ash smiled fondly. After today it would be all over, and there wouldn't be a reason for her to cling to him around his waist anymore.

"Well lookie what we have here," a female voice said, "The two children are ready to enter the race."

Ash and May turned around to see Precita and Dan walk next to them with their surfboard. Ash snarled at the couple as they placed their surfboard beside their own. Precita and Dan had their usual snobbish grins on their faces, but this time they didn't bother to say anything else. Precita looked at May out of the corner of her eye and grinned, May looked away and tried to ignore her.

"Four minutes till the start of the race! If you haven't done so already, let your Pokemon out!" Fredrick declared.

"I have my Pokeball, you have yours, right?" Dan asked.

"Yes," Precita turned to her opponents, "Would you like me to introduce you to our Pokemon?"

"We don't care," Ash said bluntly, "If all you're going to do is show off we couldn't care less."

"Apparently manners is not your best concept, boy," Precita said as she looked over at May, "What about you, _May, _would you like to see my Pokemon?"

May hesitated before answering, "It doesn't matter. Our Corphish and Squirtle will beat your Pokemon anyway."

"Is it just me or are these kids starting to act arrogant? It's almost as if they don't _like _us!" Dan laughed devilishly.

"Three minutes till we start!" Fredrick shouted into his microphone.

"I am insulted. Whatever did we do to get you to hate us so much?" Precita asked innocently, clasping her hands in a puppy-dog manner.

"Listen can you stop talking to us already?!" May finally blurted out, "We said we don't care, now just buzz off."

Precita remained calm, although her patience was wearing thin. She was not someone who could be told off easily, and was adamant about getting things her way.

"Guess I'll just have to show you my Pokemon anyway," Precita snarled, holding her Pokeball, "Come out, Sharpedo!"

The light that formed in the shallow water ahead of them soon materialized into a vicious shark Pokemon, Sharpedo. It was a shade of blue with a white underbelly and menacing red eyes. Its teeth were sharp and looked like they could even tear the hull of a ship apart.

"How do you like my Sharpedo?" Precita asked.

Sharpedo growled ferociously toward the shore. Squirtle got very intimidated and quickly ran behind May's legs. May bent down and put her hand around Squirtle's shell in a protective manner.

"Cor-phish!" Corphish yelled, raising its pincers at the Pokemon.

"Calm down, Corphish, we're not going to let a Sharpedo get the best of us," Ash said.

"Two minutes and counting!" Fredrick screamed, thrusting his crotch toward the audience.

"Time to show you my Pokemon," Dan said, throwing the Pokeball, "Gorebyss, I choose you!"

The light materialized into a Gorebyss right next to Sharpedo. In a sharp contrast to the menacing Sharpedo, Gorebyss was a beautiful pink Pokemon with dazzling eyes and a long snout.

"A…Gorebyss?" May stuttered.

"Not what you expected, huh? In any case, Gorebyss is the perfect Pokemon to use in this competition. Its sense of speed in the water is unmatched, not to mention how much it'll enjoy sucking the blood out of _your _Pokemon?" Dan mocked.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked.

"Study your Pokedex, boy," he replied, flicking his light brown hair, "Gorebyss may look beautiful and innocent, but looks aren't everything. Gorebyss drain the blood of their prey by inserting their snout into their body, and maliciously drain every ounce of juice from the inside of the Pokemon. The prey is helpless at the mercy of its aggressor as its bodily fluids are drained, killing it in the process. Why do you think it's called **Gore**byss?"

"Bysssssss," Gorebyss hissed.

"You guys sure picked the most creepy Pokemon ever!" May shouted, clutching her Squirtle protectively in her arms, "And you probably chose them just to attack Ash and my Pokemon during the race! You make me sick."

"Heh, I'm thinking the girl is paranoid. We've caught these Pokemon long before we met you, Ms. Brunette. I suggest you lay off the conspiracy theories, because it'll only make you look more ignorant than you already are," Precita said.

May placed Squirtle on the sand and quickly tugged on Ash's arm. She brought him next to the tethers in front of the surfboard with Corphish and Squirtle standing next to it.

May urged him frantically, "Ash, we've just got to win this race! I can't bear to think of the gratitude those horrible people will get if they beat us."

"Definitely," Ash said as he nodded, he turned to Precita and Dan, "Last time I checked, good things don't happen to bad people!"

Precita and Dan looked at each other dumbfounded.

"Was that supossed to be some sort of comeback line?" Dan scratched his head.

"Oh I know what it was, he was just wishing us luck for our victory in the race," Precita laughed, "Oh and Ms. May?"

"What is it?" May asked snootily.

"Just to add insult to the injury, I'll look much better in those prize swimsuits than you will. I'll make sure to rub my win, and my body, in your face."

"ONE MINUTES FOLKS! OH YEAH!" Fredrick waved his arms.

May grunted angrily as sparks appeared in her eyes.

"Swimsuits belong on beautiful people like me," Precita said, flicking her long dark hair and strutting her body toward Ash and May, "I'd shudder to think if those great swimsuits were wasted on someone as frail and pathetic as you."

May was losing her temper quickly, her hands clasped into fists and her grunts could be heard a mile away. Her face was bulging, but she managed to hold herself back. She was trying to restrain herself, as she didn't know what would happen if she snapped. This garbage had gone on long enough.

"45 SECONDS PEOPLE! Participants stand by your surfboards! OH YEEEEEEAH!"

_No way is she getting those swimsuits, not after everything I worked for to win them,_ May thought, clenching her fists, _I can't even imagine a person like her wearing a pink bikini with a Skitty and Torchic on it…I just can't let her have that satisfaction. _

Ash put his hands on May's shoulders which snapped her out of her train of thought. She looked at him confused and startled.

"Keep your cool, don't listen to what she has to say anymore," he said in a serious manner, "We're going to win, and that's all there is to it!"

May took a deep breath and let go of some of her tension. Precita and Dan eyed the pair with envy.

"30 SECONDS PEOPLE! GET READY TO TIE THE TETHERS!"

"I'm…I'm sorry, Ash. I just don't want her to get those swimsuits," she said softly, "Even if we don't win ourselves, I'd rather one of the other participants in the race win instead. That way at least I'll know that Precita didn't get what she wanted either, and some other lucky girl will get those swimsuits instead."

"I wouldn't count on that!" Precita yelled, waving her hand in disgust, "Just because we're focused on you two doesn't mean we're ignoring the rest of the competition. We'll leave all these other losers in the dust as well. _Nobody _is going to stand in my way and the prize."

~*~*~

"I'm so excited, less than 30 seconds before they fire the signal!" Max shouted with glee.

"ASH AND MAY YOU CAN DO IT!" Brock shouted.

"PIKA PIKACHU!"

"They've been training all week, haven't they? They should do real well," Tana said happily.

"Hopefully my sister doesn't mess up on anything, she can get awfully clumsy at times," Max sighed.

"Put more faith in the female species, Max," Jamie said, "Girls can be just as _wild _as boys you know."

Tana gave Jamie a hard elbow to her stomach.

"I said STOP SAYING things like that!" Tana growled.

"Man, I sure can pick 'em can't I?" Brock sighed as he hid his face in his hands.

~*~*~*~

The race was about to start, the 30 different pairs of participants stood readily next to the surfboard, holding onto the tethers ready to tie them around their Pokemon as soon as the signal was fired. The anticipation was building, and in just a few more seconds the Pokemon would be racing as fast as they could.

"TEN SECONDS!" Fredrick declared.

"Ready, May?"

"Ready, Ash."

"After we take care of some of the other participants, we'll go after them," Precita whispered.

"As I always say, you're the boss," Dan replied.

"FIVE SECONDS!"

Corphish and Squirtle were as determined as their trainers to begin the race.

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE…LET THE RACE BEGIN!" Fredrick shouted, shooting a signal into the air.

The signal burst into a red firework in the sky which let the trainers know that the race had begun! The trainers scrambled to tie the tethers around their Pokemon, and as soon as they were tied around, they were off on the course.

"Quickly, Ash, get it around Corphish!" May said nervously as she was tying the other tether around Squirtle's shell.

Ash looked up around him as several of the other participants were already finished with the tethers and were getting a head start on the competition. Ash frantically looked to the right where a Walimer and Luvdisc pulled out from the shore and brought their trainers along with them out toward the course.

"Ash, stop blanking out and hurry up! The other people are on the race course already!" May shouted.

Ash quickly focused his attention back to the tether, but his fingers were stumbling while tying the knot. Apparently he was getting too nervous to focus clearly.

Precita and Dan hopped on their surfboard with the tethers secured around their Sharpedo and Gorebyss. Before Precita grabbed ahold of the tethers through the circular hole, she snickered watching Ash still struggle to tie the knot around Corphish.

"Let me give you a going away present!" Precita sneered, reaching her foot down toward the sand.

She then quickly dug her left foot in the sand and flung a large clot of sand into Ash's eyes. The sting of sand hitting his eyes forced Ash to fall backward and rub his eyes in pain.

"Have fun, suckers!" Precita laughed maliciously, "I've got a race to win!"

Sharpedo and Gorebyss pulled their surfboard into the ocean as Precita and Dan looked behind them to see Ash still sitting on the sand and rubbing his eyes.

"I HATE YOU!" May blurted out toward Precita.

Ash continued to wipe his eyes nervously, "She flung that damn sand into my eyes…you don't know how badly this stings!"

May grabbed Ash under his armpits and helped him to his feet, she brought her hands to his face and tried to help him any way she could. Ash finally squinted and blinked a couple of times until the sting started to fade. His eyes were red from the impact, but at least now he could open them again.

"CORPHISH!" Corphish shouted.

"Are you ok now?" May asked, her hands scanning his face.

"Ugh, I'm as good now as I'll ever be. I'll get her back for that, I swear!" Ash pushed May aside and kneeled down in front of Corphish, trying to tie the knot around him once more.

"And so the race begins!" Fredrick said, "Most of the surfers have already left the shore, but there seems to be trouble with a certain pair of participants. Looks like a young boy and girl are struggling to tie a tether around their Corphish, I wonder what the mishap was?!"

"What's taking Ash and May so long to get in the race?" Max asked, "Everyone else is out on the course already!"

"I don't know, I didn't see anything from here. All I saw was Ash falling backward for no reason, it was hard to make out what happened," Brock said, "They better get a move on, they're about 20 seconds behind the competition already!"

"Every one of our participants is now on the course except for one pair of young trainers still at the starting line. Seeing as how this young boy and girl are having some problems, why not call them the "Little rookies?" Yes, I must say I come up with great names for our participants, will the "Little rookies" manage to catch up with the competition?" the loudspeakers declared.

"There, it's on!" Ash said happily, securing the knot, "Get on the surfboard!"

Ash hopped on the surfboard and grabbed the two tethers through the circular opening. May quickly jumped on and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Once Ash commanded their Pokemon to go, Squirtle and Corphish pulled the surfboard along into the water and started swimming. Corphish propelled its pincers in a clockwise motion to try and make up for loss time, while Squirtle kept its mouth underneath the water and its eyes above, hoping that it would be able to swim quicker that way.

"Whaddya know, folks? The "Little rookies" have finally left the starting line! All the participants are on the course, let's here it for them!" Fredrick said happily.

The crowd roared with cheer, while Max, Brock and Pikachu especially shouted out to Ash and May as loud as they could.

"The rest of them are so far ahead of us!" Ash shouted while he squinted, "We gotta pick up the pace!"

Corphish and Squirtle heard their master and began swimming as fast as they could. There were wooden signs floating in the water attached to buoys that had arrows pointing on them. They were to show the correct way through the race course, as it was hard to make out which direction the participants had to go otherwise.

Ash and May peered ahead as they saw several stone pillars in the water. They were large stone rocks designed specifically so the surfboards would bump into them. May noted how this was pretty much the same thing as practicing with the buoys they did all week, and that they should use the same strategy here.

"These pillars are larger and fatter than the buoys, just zigzag through them!" May commanded.

"I see them!" Ash said, pulling the tethers to the right, which indicated to the Pokemon to swim in that direction.

The surfboard began to zigzag through the series of pillars in the water, successfully avoiding impact with all of them. That was until Ash got careless when they approached the last pillar, and the side of the surfboard smacked into the heavy stone which nearly knocked Ash and May overboard. Quickly regaining their composure, they continued along hoping to catch up to the other surfers.

"I think I see the first surfer in front of us!" May said.

"We'll just have to pass them up, c'mon, Corphish!" Ash declared.

Corphish pulled the surfboard to the right as they approached the other surfboard that was ahead of them. The young couple and their Shellder and Slowbro didn't take kindly to being passed up, especially by current last place participants. The young man ordered his Sheller to use a Bubble attack against the opposing surfboard.

"Use your Bubblebeam attack to blow away those Bubbles!" Ash commanded.

"Corphish!" Corphish shouted, opening its right pincer and firing its Bubblebeam attack. The stronger force of Corphish's Bubblebeam managed to blow back Shellder's Bubble attack, and the blast fired right back into the Pokemon in which it fainted upon impact.

"Shellder!" the male surfer gasped, seeing one of its Pokemon fainted in the water.

Ash and May grinned as they passed up the other trainers at a high speed toward the rest of the group in front of them.

"And what's this?" Fredrick shouted, "Looks like the "Little Rookies" are no longer in last place, and have managed to faint a Pokemon from an opposing team! Since this was only a single attack used for defense, there will be no penalty imposed on the "Little Rookies!" On the other hand, our current last place participants are sure going to have a rough time racing with only one Pokemon!"

"Are you kidding us?" the last place female trainer whined, clutching her Shellder in her arms, "Forget this! We quit! This race is too violent for our poor little Pokemon!"

"AHA! And with that entry #17 is **DISQUALIFIIIIIIIIIED! **Only 29 racers remain, who will claim the #1 spot?" he shouted.

"Good, I can see several surfboards right ahead of us. Maybe we're not as far behind as we thought we were!" Ash cheered.

"Well we're in 29th place now, I don't think we should be celebrating just yet, Ash!" May said.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR WAY!" Precita threatened to a pair of unsuspecting trainers.

The two female surfers looked innocently toward Precita and Dan, not really sure what to expect.

"Gorebyss, use Ice beam and freeze their surfboard in its tracks!" Dan commanded.

Gorebyss' snout glowed a white and blue tint and fired a beam of light upon the female trainers surfboard. Their two Luvdisc were frightened by the attack, and even more so when the Ice beam turned into a giant ice sculpture, thus propelling the two girls and their Luvdisc about 10 feet into the air!

The two young teen girls hugged each other desperately, with their surfboard teetering over the edge of a large ice sculpture.

"Another entry has been put on ice! Looks like they're out of the race!"

The Luvdisc jumped out of their tethers and into the arms of the two girls.

"Oh who cares about this stupid race anyway, I just wanted to prove my love for my friend!" the blonde girl complained.

"Oh, Sarah, you know I love you anyway, our Luvdisc proved that," the dark hair girl confessed.

The two girls cried humorously as some race officials raced to the scene to get them down and bring them off the course.

"That's another one down, let's kick the crap out of the rest," Precita said.

Ash and May managed to pass by three more surfers without even exchanging attacks. It started to become apparent that some of these other participants haven't even spent much time training for the competition, while Ash, May and their Pokemon trained for several hours for a full week.

"NEXT UP, IT'S TIME FOR ONE OF OUR SURPRISE TWISTS THIS YEAR!" Fredrick grinned, "Oh it's going to be the BOMB! Quite literally!"

As Ash and May made a left turn to continue staying between bounds on the race course, a bunch of canon shots were fired from outside the course and into the water.

"What the heck?" May said amazed, "What are they trying to do, kill us?"

The balls fired into the race course weren't canon shots at all, but the large balls managed to float to the surface, almost as if they had a mind of their own and were waiting for the surfers to approach them.

"Creepy, now I'm glad we didn't participate in the race this time," Jamie said flabbergasted.

"I can't tell, what did they fire onto the course? There's about a dozen of them scattered about!" Max said.

"Let's wait and see…" Brock whispered.

"Corphish?" Corphish said confused as it approached one of the floating black balls.

"Wait a second…" Ash gasped, as he spotted beady eyes appearing from the top of the balls, "Those aren't just balls, they're Electrode!"

"WHAT?" May said frantically.

"ELEC-TRODE!" Electrode said emerging to the surface so its red and white colors appeared in front of them. The round Pokemon then began to heat up as sparks started flying out from its sides.

"Ash, turn to the left, it's going to use Self destruct!" May gasped. She reached her hands over Ash and grabbed the tethers from him, pulling them to the left as quick as possible so Squirtle and Corphish would know to make a turn. Ash quickly moved out of the way and stood behind her, this time clutching her around the waist.

"TRODE!" The Pokemon declared before…

BOOM!

The explosion created a tremendous wave in the water, in which their surfboard was catapaulted into the air! The two trainers held on tightly while their surfboard came crashing back down into the water.

"HOLD ON!" May yelled back to Ash.

The surfboard crashed flat down into the water while Squirtle and Corphish were submerged beneath it. May and Ash peered over the edge of the surfboard hoping that their Pokemon didn't faint from the explosion, but their fears were put to rest as their Pokemon appeared back above the water with energetic expressions.

"The race this year not only features obstacles on the course, but Pokemon obstacles as well! Isn't it just the bomb? Yeah, I know I said that already but when you're as cool as me, you just GOTTA say everything twice!" Fredrick declared, "Now that the surprise is over, fire out more Electrode!"

"Alright guys, keep going! And watch out for the Electrode!" May commanded, clutching the tethers tightly.

Electrode started raining down all over the race course, but some other trainers weren't as lucky as Ash and May were. Several trainers came into head on collisions with Electrode in the water which automatically triggered a self destruct. The explosion managed to destroy their surfboard, and without it they were disqualified from the race. Another pair of trainers had an Electrode fired right on top of their surfboard! The two trainers gasped in horror as the sly electric Pokemon burst to bits in their faces, sending the trainers and their Pokemon flying backward into the water. After their surfboard was destroyed, more officials and Officer Jenny's then tugged the defeated participants and trainers off the race course and into the safety zone.

"And that's two, no three…no wait…SEVEN…that's right…SEVEN more participants…** DISQUALIFIIIIIIIIIED **from the race! No surfboard means you're screwed!" he said, dancing on stage with mic in hand.

"What the heck is this, some kind of warzone?" Max panicked.

"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachi said worried.

"Ash'll be ok, Pikachu, as long as they don't get hit directly by an explosion their surfboard should hold together!" Brock said reassuringly.

"They're coming down on us! There's three right ahead of us and one falling right above us! You gotta turn, May!" Ash screamed.

"I hear you!" May panicked, pulling on the tethers.

"ELECTRODE, ELEC-TROOOOOODE!" the Pokemon shouted before exploding.

Another fierce wave splashed upon the trainers, soaking them in the process, but the surfboard managed to stay in the water this time. More Electrode started to wade in the water toward Ash and May, waiting for their chance to send them flying. May craftily maneuvered the surfboard through the gaps of water where the electric types weren't wading, and managed to quickly speed past them before they exploded. The explosions from behind still sent a force of water toward the back of their surfboard, but it was nothing that didn't stop them for more than a few seconds.

"ELECTRODE!"

May looked up in horror as an Electrode got dangerously close to the surfboard. Ash screamed to pull the surfboard to the side but May didn't have any time to react. The Electrode grinned excitedly ready to deliver a hefty blow to its prey. The Pokemon started to heat itself up and with only seconds before the explosion, it didn't look like they would make it through this one.

"If I can't outrun this one, we'll just have to knock it away!" May declared, "Corphish, use Crabhammer quickly!"

"Cor-phish!"

Corphish jumped out of the water and smacked the round Pokemon with its pincer. Electrode was flung into the air and exploded in the distance, leaving Ash and May unscathed.

"I got us through that mess!" May cheered.

"Don't look now but we've got bigger problems!" Ash gasped, pointing ahead.

"Huh?" May looked forward in shock.

A large Blastoise stood on a pillar in front of them with its two canons aimed right at the trainers.

"It wouldn't!" May gasped.

"Squirtle, squirtle-squirtle!" Squirtle yelled.

"Blas-toise," the Pokemon said with a glimmer in its eye.

"It would!" Ash concluded.

Blastoise fired a Hydro Pump attack toward the trainers. The powerful projectile water attack came into contact with the front of the surfboard, damaging a piece of it in the process. A sole piece of the front of the surfboard tore off the front and into the ocean. It was the nose of the board, but a relatively small piece that the trainers didn't notice with the predicament at hand. May and Ash clung aboard desperately as the force of the water rushed against their bodies, threatening to submerge them beneath the waves.

"The "Little rookies" just came into contact with some of our other surprises! Our officially trained Pokemon will use attacks to slow down participants, how will they manage to break free?!" Fredrick gasped.

"I…can't hold on much longer!" May gasped as the water splashed across her face.

"Squirtle…you've got to try and reason with it!" Ash gasped, as he knew it would be their best bet.

"Squirtle?" Squirtle thought quickly, "Squirtle, squirtle!"

The tiny Pokemon frantically shouted toward the large Blastoise on the pillar. Once its meek little cries were heard by the burly tortoise, Blastoise lowered its canons and stopped its Hydro Pump attack.

"Squirtle squirtle!" it shouted in an attempt to sway the giant.

"Blas….Blastoise…oise Blastoise!" Blastoise said happily.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle squealed.

"Why did Blastoise stop its attack?" May asked.

"Blastoise must be letting us go easy because Squirtle is from its evolutionary line. I knew trying to reason with it would work, nice job, Squirtle!" Ash said proudly.

"Pheeesh," Corphish grunted, jealous that it never got such praise for getting rid of the Electrode.

The two Pokemon swam along, pulling the surfboard away from the Blastoise. When Blastoise saw two more sets of trainers appearing behind it, the former team with a Wartortle and Kingdra and the latter with a Marshtompt and Staryu, it chose to fire its Hydro Pump attack on the latter. The trainers with the Wartortle shouted with glee as they were happy to be spared from the might Blastoises' wrath, due to having a Wartortle in their possession. The other team was blown backward by the projectile, nearly 30 feet back from whence they came, only to end up colliding with one of the Electode in the water, in which they then felt themselves blown to bits by the electric type.

"TRIPLE KO! Entries #2, 18, and #23 are OOOOOOOUUUUUUUTTTTTAAAA heeeeeeeere!" Fredrick shouted, awaiting the responses from the roaring crowd.

"Jeez, and the rules say you can't bully another team by attacking them a lot?" May said sarcastically, "If I didn't know better I'd say the officials are doing a pretty dang good job of that themselves."

"That's the twist it seems, although it didn't have to be so crazy!" Ash panted, "I don't know how much more of this we can take."

"Oh we can take this all right," a determined May said, "We'll take everything they throw at us, because at the end of the day those swimsuits are going to belong to me!"

~*~*~

"We're still in possession of that Electrode, right?" Precita asked.

"My Gorebyss has it ready my dear," Dan said.

An Electrode encased in ice was being pushed along by Gorebyss' mouth. The Electrode was in the middle of an explosion, but the Ice beam managed to freeze it in its tracks before it exploded. The electric Pokemon could do nothing as it was being helplessly pushed along against its will. It tried to maneuver its body and break free of its icy shell, but it was completely immobilized.

Precita peered to her left where she spotted two young boys racing with their Tentacool. She licked her lips as she instructed her Pokemon to pull their surfboard closer to their opponents.

"Hey, boys!" Precita called out, waving her arms.

The two boys looked no older than 12, they appeared to be twins, with each boy having the same features as the other boy. They looked at Precita with child-like innocence wondering why the nice lady was calling over to them.

"We're going to beat you, lady!" the first boy said happily.

"Our parents are watching from the stadium, they're cheering for us to win this race!" the second boy said.

"Your parents sure put a lot of faith into you kids, they're still watching now I assume?" Precita asked with a smile.

The two surfboards continued to race side by side with a few feet of distance between them, Precita instructed her Pokemon to keep up with the same pace as the Tentacool.

"Yeah they are! I'm just so happy we're in this race, especially on a day like today!" the first boy said naively.

"Oh, and what's so special about today?" Precita asked.

"It's our birthday!" the boys cheered in unison, "We're twins, and we both turned 12 today!"

"Twins, eh?" Dan muttered.

"Happy Birthday, kids!" Precita said jovially.

The Electrode encased in ice was getting restless, it appeared as if the energy built up inside was ready for an explosive release. Gorebyss continued to push it along with its snout gently, knowing that if it tapped it too hard it might trigger an explosion.

"Thank you, miss!" the second boy said, "You're a really nice person, it's great having friendly competition."

"Since it's your birthday I might as well give you boys a present," Precita grinned.

"REALLY?" the boys said in unison.

"Sure," Precita cackled, "Happy Birthday!"

She pulled on Gorebyss' tether which instructed the Pokemon just what to do. Gorebyss used its snout to pick up the encased Electrode on its nose, and then tossed the Pokemon in the air over in the direction of the two boys. Before the twins could react, the giant ice prism holding the Electrode crashed down on top of them, and a second later the Electrode exploded in their faces, sending the boys ricocheting off the surfboard and destroying their board in the process. The boys screamed from the pain as tears cascaded down their faces until they finally plummeted back down into the water, Tentacool and all. All that could be seen was remnants of the shattered surfboard in a dozen pieces.

"I hope they enjoyed their present," Precita laughed.

Gorebyss and Sharpedo swam at breakneck speed, pulling their surfboard along in the distance.

~*~*~*

"There's a sharp right turn here!" Ash yelled.

"I know! I know!" May panicked.

Corphish and Squirtle nearly bumped into one another as they attempted to turn the surfboard without crashing into the stone walls. The surfboard scraped against the walls during the turn which again broke off a few pieces on the right side of their board. May gripped the tethers with all her might, preparing to go in a straight line again, as the twists and turns appeared to be behind them.

"Phew," May said relieved, wiping her brow, "I hate all these curvy turns, they should just make the race course go straight!"

Their surfboard continued to ride along the waves and between buoys until the came across an open man-made canyon with green specs flying in the sky. Ash and May squinted, trying to make out what was flying in the sky, hoping that it was nothing for the obstacle course.

"My eyes are still a little strained from the sand, can you make out what those are, May?" Ash asked, struggling with his blurry vision.

"They looked like green dots to me," May shrugged.

"After entry #16 was wiped out by an unsuspecting Electrode blast, we now have 14 participants still on the course!" Fredrick projected, "Hmmm, let's see now….FOLKS! It looks like the "Little rookies" have entered Slash Valley!"

The crowd roared in anticipation, some knowing what was going to happen due to earlier participants already making it through that segment.

"That's right my faithful fans, will the "Little rookies" be as unlucky as the other contestants?" Fredrick said.

"It's kinda quiet at this part," May said softly.

"Maybe a little too quiet," Ash said.

"Don't say stuff like that, Ash! It gives me the creeps," May retaliated, "Every time in the movies when someone says something like that, something bad happens!"

"What could possibly go wrong?" Ash whined.

"SCY-THER!" a green Pokemon screeched from above.

The Pokemon swooped down toward the surfboard and raised its scythe, aiming for the two tethers that were tied around Corphish and Squirtle.

"Stop the surfboard!" Ash yelled.

May instructed a halt frantically as the winged Pokemon missed its mark and slashed the right side of the surfboard instead. The two trainers gasped as they looked behind them to see what happened.

"That was a Scyther!" Ash said astonished.

"I can see that!" May said, "It looked like it was trying to cut the tethers off our surfboard!"

"That was a close call for the "Little Rookies," but it looks like they managed to get by a striking Scyther through some quick thinking, with only a piece of their surfboard slashed off instead," Fredrick said, "That was just a taste though, are they ready for the eye of the storm?"

"If the tethers are cut then we get disqualified from the race," Ash reminded her.

"Well at least he missed then, so we don't have to worry about that anymore," May said relived.

"I dunno, usually when something bad happens it doesn't just happen once," Ash pondered, "Something tells me that there's going to be a hundred more of them, and they'll all appear out of nowhere and when we least expect it!"

"You watch too many movies, Ash," May sighed.

"SCYTHER!" was screeched across the skies above.

Ash and May were startled as they looked above at an entire school of Scyther soaring down toward them! The Scyther were all in formation, with about three on both sides, and two in the center. They all had their scythes raised, ready to be triggered into a primitive slashing release.

"There's a whole lot of them!" Ash cried.

"You and your big mouth!" May yelled.

Without hesitation, Squirtle and Corphish quickly pulled along the surfboard without their trainers orders, knowing full well what would happen if the tethers were cut. Ash nearly fell off the back of the surfboard when they started moving again, as he was still staring up at the sky at the wave of green forming above them.

"SCY-THER!" cried out the leader, twisting its body into a circular motion with one scythe extended.

"IT'S GOING TO HIT US!" May shrieked.

"We gotta keep moving!" Ash panicked.

Fredrick continued his dictation of the race, "It seems like the "Little rookies" were taken by surprise in the valley, and are now at the mercy of a dozen Scyther ready to slash their surfboard – and their hopes of winning the race – into pieces! Will the young trainers manage to escape the Scyther's wrath in time and keep going in the race, or will they only find themselves in the losers circle after they're torn to shreds? It's going to be a split-second and heart pounding moment here folks, stay tuned for the next exciting installment!"

Fredrick took a deep breath, covered the mic with his hand and muttered to himself, "Jeez, I could probably get a job narrating a children's cartoon show with this voice. I am just THAT good."


	29. Victory or bust!

**Chapter 29  
****  
****Victory or bust!  
**  
The beats of their wings rang harshly, the sound pulsated through their ear lobes threatening to overtake their stability. The wind above was being cut through the center as a battalion of scythes were getting ready to make their mark. The teens could feel it all; their hearts raced knowing what little time they had left could make the difference between being on the water or back on the sand. Their bodies were soaked from the waves which splashed against their bodies, and their eyes tried to fixate on an escape route, although time was dreadfully short.

The two Water Pokemon struggled to pull along the surfboard in the current, away from the raining scythes above them, but the scythes belonged to life, and life had a mind of its own.

Fretting about whether to stop or go, May held onto the tethers in a loose manner just in case she had to make a split second turn to get out of the hazardous situation from above. If the scythes made contact with the two ropes, it was all over. Their hard work and their determination will have been for naught, and their dreams crushed. The girl wasn't about to give up easily though, there was too much at stake here. Commitment, trust, honor, willpower, and a hint of revenge fueled her mind and kept the blood coursing through her body. Was the hope entirely on her shoulders, or was the boy or the Pokemon also a deciding factor? She tried to think, but the boy took charge.

"Before they get close, Corphish, try aiming your Bubblebeam attack at the Scyther above!" Ash called out in an act of desperation, peering over May's shoulder while he clung to her waist.

With one pincer aimed upward and the other used to remain at a constant speed in the water, the lobster fired its attack above at the raining white and green aggressors. Much to its and its master's dismay, the Scyther battalion easily avoided the bubbles and returned to formation after the attack had missed.

"Damn, that didn't work!" Ash yelled, frustrated.

"Forget about attacking! We'll outrun them with speed…we just have to!" May motioned frantically.

Corphish and Squirtle gave it their all, putting all their remaining strength into pulling the surfboard on the waves. May stared ahead, gripping the tethers more securely, but Ash constantly looked above and behind his shoulders at the Scyther formation which came dangerously close.

"SCYTH-ER!" the leader commanded, pointing its scythe at its prey.

Two Scyther on the sides came in for the first wave of attack toward the surfboard, while the others remained in formation.

"May!" Ash urged her.

"I know, I can hear them…." May gasped, hearing the beat of their wings in her ears. The course ahead was still wide and clear without any kind of protection, there was nothing to hide behind or a maze to lose them in. The girl was suddenly struck with an idea, "Zigzag!"

Ash looked at her confused but the Pokemon understood the orders. As the two Scyther prepared to strike, the surfboard began moving in zany zig-zagging patterns along the waves instead of a straight manner. The surfboard was being pulled along quite erratically, as Ash struggled to hold onto the girl with all his might. Having practiced zigzagging around buoys and stone pillars previously, it was the only plan that could possibly throw off the Scyther's rhythm.

Their blades struck the surfboard but missed their prime target due to its erratic motion. A piece of the enclosed sides of the surfboards were sliced clean off, but otherwise the board was still faring well.

"Now they're closer, use Ice beam, Squirtle!" May shouted, as the two Scyther hovered right above them.

"Squirt!" the tiny turtle cried.

It fired the icy light from its mouth and caught both Scyther in the blast, freezing both of them in a block of ice in which they plummetted down into the waves behind them. The remaining Scyther were shocked as to what happened to their partners, and instead of following the surfboard, they hovered over their fallen comrades trying to break them free of their icy encasement instead.

Ash and May turned their heads backward and cheered happily once they saw the Scyther wave had backed off. May raised her hand high and asked him for a high-five for a job well done, and he quickly slapped her hand happily.

"Heeehee, another disaster averted!" she laughed, "My Squirtle's Ice beam has to be the best attack ever!"

Ash chuckled, "Yea, kind of like…hmmmm…what's that word again?"

"Hm?" she asked.

"It's a word Brock uses…it's uh…oh now I remember," Ash said, "Your Squirtle's Ice beam is like a deus ex machina!"

"Eh? What does that mean?" she asked, turning slightly.

"Just something Brock said to me once, about how my Pikachu was so strong it can get me out of almost any situation in battle," Ash said, thinking, "Although really I have no idea what the words mean, but that's the gist of it."

"That figures, I knew you couldn't have come up with such a big word like that all by yourself." May smiled.

Ash squeezed her around her belly tightly after her comment, almost as if he was giving her a reassuring hug from behind without knowing what he was doing. May let out a soft "Ah," feeling the warm contact of his chest against her back, and his arms against her waist. Almost forgetting that they were still in a race, the two friends enjoyed their brief moment of unintended affection until the surfboard hit a buoy briefly, which shocked and brought the pair back down to earth.

Ash stuttered, "There's…a small cave coming up ahead…do you think we're supossed to go through it?"

May looked at the floating wooden signs attached to buoys around them, "The arrows on the signs are pointing toward the cave, so that must be part of the track."

"It looks really dark in there!" Ash said as the surfboard approached the entrance to the cave.

"Kind of creepy too," she worried, "I hope there are no Zubat in there, if those things cling to my hair I'll go nuts!"

"I'll try to shoo them off if they cling to you," Ash joked.

"I already have _you _clinging to me, I don't need any unwelcomed guests doing it too," she teased.

Corphish and Squirtle swam diligently, pulling the trainers inside the crevasse. The cave was dark and damp inside, but luckily there were no branching paths and the only way to go appeared to be straight. A couple of eerie sounds filled the cave but the trainers could not make out if there was anyone else surfing through there but themselves.

"Please no Zubat, please no Zubat, please no Zubat!" May pleaded.

"At that rate you might as well hold up a sign saying, "Come attack me Zubat!" you know?" Ash said jokingly.

The board continued to race through the cave, and May took a breath of relief once she saw light from the end of the tunnel.

"Alright, there's the exit ahead!" May cheered, "Thank goodness there were no Zubat!"

"See? You got worried for no reason!" Ash said. He put his hands to his mouth and shouted out to the cave, "No Zubat in this cave I see! Maybe they just don't like brunettes!"

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIT!" a flurry of voices suddenly shouted.

"What the heck was that?" May asked cautiously, her eyes wandering around the cave nervously.

A bunch of red eyes suddenly appeared from the sides of the cave, and moments later they flew toward the trainers….eyes that belonged to none other than a Zubat swarm!

"ASH I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR SAYING THAT!" May shrieked.

Squrirtle and Corphish snickered as they kicked it up into full gear, as May and Ash frantically tried to shoo the Zubat out of their hair.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Ash defended, waving his arm around the Zubat above.

"OH SHUT UP!" May retaliated, brushing off Zubat with a giggle attached.

~*~*~*~

"Only SEVEN, that's right…SEVEN participants remain in the race, folks!" Fredrick shouted into the microphone, "I'm going to reveal the current places that the participants are in, and with some spread all over the track, it's going to be a tough time for the last few to catch up to the leads!"

"I wonder what place my sister and Ash are in!" Max wondered.

"They made it past the Sycther part, didn't they?" Jamie asked, "If so they should be coming out of the cave and heading to the next part by now."

"That's still far behind though, we saw up to three participants come out of that part like over seven minutes ago," Brock said, "They'll really have to kick it up a notch if they want to get that prize money and the swimsuits."

"Pika, chu pika!" Pikachu added.

Fredrick began reading off the list of the participants' places, and after announcing five names he got to none other than Ash and May.

"And the "Little Rookies!" are in 6th place folks, that means they're second to last at the moment!" Fredrick declared, "They narrowly made it through Slash Valley, but with any luck those crazy kids will stay in this race and make it all the way to the end!"

"Second to last at the moment, huh?" Tana said disappointingly, "I'll feel really bad if they don't win. May really didn't stop talking about those swimsuits one bit when we first met one another, it was like all her mind was on."

"She will win!" Max interrupted, "My sister wants that Skitty and Torchic bikini more than anything! She's been obsessing over it for a week, there's nothing that's going to stand in her way."

"Heh, that pink bikini with the Skitty and Torchic faces was a real cute one," Tana said, not wanting to upset the younger brother, "It's probably impossible to get that bikini anywhere else too, unless you pay a pretty penny for it. I can see why she wants it so much, I don't blame her. A cute girl needs a cute swimsuit!"

"I agree, but I'm sure with all the training she's done with Ash that they'll be able to get to the finish line first," Brock added, "When those two set their minds on something there's no stopping them, I can't see either of them letting the other down by not winning."

~*~*~

Two surfboards violently clashed against one another in a narrow passage, all the while avoiding Vine whip attacks coming from hidden Pokemon in the reefs. The competitors wouldn't give up their current place easily, and it was apparent that one side wanted to brutally knock the other out of the race.

"Sharpedo, ram into them one more time!" Precita declared.

Sharpedo moved its burly body in the water and slammed itself against the oppossing surfboard. The other young couple waddled desperately as their surfboard was on the verge of tipping over. Their Seadra and Huntail weren't used to such overbearing force from opponents and were frightened by the attacks.

"Now we got them," Dan snickered.

"Alright, ram yourself into them – huh?" Precita stuttered, feeling something tug on her board.

Precita and Dan peered behind them and grunted angrily as they saw three green whips pulling onto the back of their surfboard. There were several Grass Pokemon hidden in the reefs surrounding the course, and slowing down participants with their hold was their specialty.

"Break free of the hold!" Precita demanded.

Sharpedo and Gorebyss struggled to pull their surfboard out of the vine's grip, but to little avail. Precita glared angrily as the other couple mocked them and continued on their merry way.

"Those losers got away," Precita sneered, watching the other surfboard take the lead, "Will you get these goddamn vines off our board already?"

Dan let go of her waist and grabbed ahold of the three vines pulling on the back of the board. He tried pulling and twisting them but the grip was too strong. Had he had his pocket knife with him, he wouldn't hestitate to slash the three vines off his board no matter how much that would have injured the Pokemon they belonged to. This was the first trap that they were successful caught in, and they were enraged that they were being made a mockery of by Fredrick above.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Fredrick snorted, "The most aggressive pair of our tournament, not to mention the pair that got two 15 second penalties for harassing other participants, get a taste of their own medicine! What do you think, folks, can they break free?!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" the crowd roared.

"They're making fools of us," Precita glared.

"What do you want me to do, huh? I can't get these damn vines off our board," Dan retaliated.

"WATCH OUT!" a voice called out from behind.

"And who is that coming up from the rear?" Fredrick squinted, "Could it be? Yes it IS! The "Little Rookies" are racing at full speed and are about to pass "The Aggressors" at any moment!"

"THOSE KIDS!" Precita snapped.

May's face turned sour once she spotted Precita and Dan ahead of her. Her face then beamed with relief once she saw that they were being pulled backward by three green vines coming from a Pokemon concealed in the reefs.

"Let's blow past these guys," May sneered, pulling on the tethers.

Corphish and Squirtle roared with delight, pulling the surfboard past Precita and Dan. Before they passed them by however, Squirtle and Corphish purposely splashed water in their faces, antagonizing them in the process. Precita and Dan could do nothing but stare with envy as Ash and May faded into the distance ahead of them.

"Well we passed them up, here's hoping those vines don't let them go," Ash said.

"I'm thrilled, it's about time they fell into a trap that they couldn't get out of," she replied.

Their high didn't last long however as they caught up to the pair of surfers that breezed past Precita a few moments ago. The oppossing pairs eyed each other determinedly, each ready to do whatever it took to remain in the lead.

Suddenly, a flock of Pidgeot, Swellow and Fearow appeared in the sky in front of them. They flew up from behind several large rocks, waiting to spring a trap on the participants in the course. The large bird Pokemon flapped their wings in unison blowing harsh gust of winds at the surfers. Their Water Pokemon suddenly found it hard to swim as the mighty whirlwind attacks disturbed the flow of the current, thus giving the Pokemon and the surfboard a bumpy ride.

"Out of one problem and into the next! The "Little Rookies," and another pair of participants that I can't be bothered to remember the name of at the moment, are struggling against a fierce whirlwind attack!" Fredrick declared, "Will the competition be blown away?"

Ash wrapped his arms around her torso tightly as the wind threatened to blow him right off the surfboard. May grunted, trying not to fall off the surfboard herself, and clung to the circular opening on the pillar of the surfboard rather than the tethers themselves.

"This wind is strong!" May yelled, her feet slipping on the surface of the board.

"That's obvious, I know!" he replied, his legs actually being blown up into the air while still holding her around the waist.

"Ugh, you're going to fly away!" May gasped.

She removed one hand from the circular pillar and put it around his arms which were wrapped around her stomach. She made sure one of her hands held onto him, just in case his grip loosened and he went flying. She had to bring his body back down to the surfboard, she couldn't bear to think of her friend being blown away.

May and Ash squinted as they peered over to the opposing trainers, only to see that they were having much less luck than they were. A large cluster of flying Pokemon were closer to their surfboard, and the wind attacks got so strong that their entire surfboard was lifted out of the water and began flying in the air. Their Seadra and Huntail helplessly hung over the edge of the surfboard still attached by the tethers, while the trainers themselves lost their grip.

"These kind of obstacles weren't listed in the contract!" the male surfer whined, flying in the air into the unknown, "Honey?!"

"Don't worry, dear, I'm right behind you!" the girl shrieked, her body spinning in circles in the air.

The surfboard followed the trainers in the air, with the two Pokemon absent-mindedly being blown along with them.

"Entry #8 is **DISQUALIFIED!" **Fredrick snickered as the trainers were blown out of bounds, "Now that those unfortunate souls were blown into oblivion, our flying Pokemon will turn all their attention to the "Little Rookies!"

"NO!" May stuttered, "With all those Pokemon ganging up on us…we…we can't be blown away like they were!"

"Have any ideas, May? Because I'm open for anything right about now!" Ash yelled, his entire body blown up in the air.

His hands slipped along her stomach and were now holding onto her chest right below her top, the rest of his body wasn't on contact with the surfboard, but being pulled up in the sky instead similar to the effects of a tornado. May wrapped both her arms around the circular pillar, not having the strength to even hold onto Ash's arms anymore. Her wet brown hair was being blown viciously in all directions. The two youths could not withstand the winds from the flock of flying Pokemon, and pretty soon, the accumulated winds would carry up the entire surfboard in the air.

Ash continued to wail with half his body in the air, his hands continued to slip, loosening their grip and moving higher up on her chest. He didn't have any choice in the matter, but his hands eventually had to grab ahold of the curves on her chest in order to not get blown away. May was startled with the placement of her hands, but she didn't have much time to react as the entire surfboard felt like it was drifting a few inches above the water.

"Pheesh? Cor!" Corphish yelled, astonished that its body was being picked up in the winds.

Squirtle followed suit, letting out frightening tears of being put into an unfamiliar hostile territory.

"THIS COULD BE THE END FOR THE "LITTLE ROOKIES!" Fredrick said, gasping himself.

"They can't end this way!" Max cried, jumping from his seat and holding onto the railings, "THIS ISN'T FAIR!"

"Sadly, anything is fair game here," Tana signed, "Poor May, she'll never get those swimsuits now."

"PIKACHU, PIKA, PIKA!" Pikachu shouted to its master, in an act of desperation.

The Pidgeot, Fearow and Swellow went into formation, and began producing their strongest whirlwind attacks yet. The audience gasped at the trainers' plight, many staring silently in disbelief that they were still hanging in there. Others made comments about how they felt terrible for the kids, and how this was a bit too harsh for competitors in the race.

"STOP THOSE FLYING POKEMON!" an old lady yelled from the stands.

"They had enough, nobody should be put through that!" a middle-aged man added.

"Calm down my faithful fans, if anything looks too hectic, we'll call off the birds and disqualify them," Fredrick said reassuringly. On the surface, it looked like Fredrick didn't favor certain surfers over others and didn't care who got disqualified, but underneath all that nonchalant posterior, he was hesitating to disqualify them because he wanted them to win. He covered the mike with his hand and muttered to himself, "C'mon children, there's a way out…you just have to find it!"

Ash's hands unintentionally closed tighter, and May yelled. She closed one eye as the harsh winds whipped across her face and screamed, "Ash! Watch out what you're grabbing onto!"

Ash let out a response, an unrelated response, but a response to remain in the race instead of being blown out of bounds.

"…we have to go underwater!" he cried.

May turned her head, not sure if she heard him correctly, "Wha?"

"UNDERWATER!" Ash screamed.

The entire surfboard was now floating five inches above the waves, drifting in circles with their Pokemon along. Feelings of nausuea consumed them, the spinning was rapid enough to make any lesser people to lose their dignity. Ash cried out his plan one last time, knowing that it would only be a few more moments before they would be sent out of bounds.

**"UNDERWATER!" **

Corphish and Squirtle, floating helplessly above the waves, finally understood their trainers' command. They summoned every last ounce of strength in their body, regained their focus, and prepared to make a dive underwater.

"HOLD YOUR BREATH!" Ash cried, still grabbing her upper chest.

"WHY?"

"JUST DO IT!"

The girl opened her mouth, taking in as much air as possible and closed it tightly. Ash did the same, knowing what precious seconds they had left.

The two Water types darted for the water, using the strength of the wind to propel them downward. They splashed into the waves, and using their aquatic abilities, they swam deeper into the water. The tethers tied around the circular opening of the surfboard were being pulled downward, due to the Pokemon swimming deeper into the blue abyss.

May was alarmed, and shrieked in fear as the nose of the surfboard was being pulled beneath the waves. Moments later, the entire surfboard was submerged with the pair altogether.

Beneath the waves, Corphish and Squirtle swam diligently pulling the surfboard along with them. The different pressure underwater almost made May lose her grip and float away, but Ash pulled his body toward her and pressed himself flat against her back. Her torso was being flattened against the circular pillar on the surfboard, and Ash forcefully held her in place by pressing himself harshly against her. His arms extended under her armpits and wrapped around the cicular pillar securely, hoping it would keep them in place.

Above the waves, the flying types stopped their whirlwind assault and were staggered by the move that their opposition had made. The audience gasped in shock and fear, wondering if perhaps the young trainers were blown forcefully underwater.

"Well…uh…that was unexpected," Fredrick panted, rubbing his forehead with a towel.

"I don't believe this, Corphish and Squirtle pulled Ash and May with them underwater!" Max gasped.

Brock grunted, his hands clenched into fists. His eyes twitched not being sure of what to make of the situation.

_I hope you know what you're doing, Ash, _Brock thought, grinding his teeth.

Squirtle and Corphish made several turns under the waves, hoping to find an opening above to surface on. Ash and May desperately held their breath, the fierce winds and the pressure of going underwater had the two exhausted, and not exactly in prime shape for keeping what precious air they had left.

She was struggling more so than Ash, her face turning blue with feelings of passing out beginning to overwhelm her. Ash desperately eyed her making sure she was still conscious. He knew she wouldn't last much longer, and the terrifying thought that she wouldn't make it to the surface began to overwhelm him. He rubbed her soft hands hopefully under the waves, in some false hope that it would get her to hold on.

Corphish and Squirtle began swimming at an upward slant toward the surface, but everytime they tried to get above the water, they were pushed down by the current. Apparently there was still a force from above disrupting the current of the course, and being powerful enough to prevent the Water types from surfacing with their masters.

_This…is…it… _May thought, her mind beginning to drift, _Why'd you have to pick such a stupid plan, Ash? You…you're…gonna get us killed…" _

Her chin lowered and her eyes began to close. Ash was starting to lose his breath as well, things were looking awfully grim.

_Just a few more seconds, we gotta get above…_ Ash thought, _No…we're not gonna die…no…this plan should have worked! _

"SQUIRTLE!" Squirtle yelled desperately, trying to reveal something to Corphish.

Corphish followed Squirtle's gaze to the bottom of the ocean, and nodded in unison. It opened its pincers and fired its strongest Bubblebeam attack toward the ground. At the same time, Squirtle fired its Ice beam attack to form an icy slope that would lead to the surface.

_Damn it, Ash, _May gasped. Her mouth opened slightly, the water began seeping in, _There was still so much I wanted to do in life, Contests, Pokemon, growing up, watching my brother turn into the powerful trainer I know he'll become, finding love…becoming a Mom…_

Her eyes began to sink back into her sockets, her mouth opening completely as the bubbles of air drifted out. The last pockets of air began to escape her, leaving her with nothing but the promise of death.

Corphish's aim managed to propel the surfboard at an angle to get it on the icy slope that Squirtle had created. With their plan set into motion, and their trainers on the brink of life and death, the surfboard was pulled at astounding speeds up the icy slope.

Ash was on the brink of losing his breath as well, opening his mouth slightly only to take in deadly water. Drowning; the one time that the greatest substance on Earth was a poison instead of a nurtrient.

_Can't let her go, _he thought, pushing her almost lifeless body against the pillar on the surfboard, _Not…slip…away… _

Her mouth opened, water filled her and threatened to take away her life.

_Ash…thank you for the time we spent together…I…I…was yours…wasn't I…?_ were her final thoughts…

The crowd watching from their seats were getting restless. They didn't care where the other participants were on the course, they were all worried as to when Ash and May would surface. Fredrick began to bite his fingernails nervously. Various officials and lifeguards started to get the feeling that something wasn't right.

"C'mon….come up!" Max yelled desperately.

Brock, Pikachu, Tana and Jamie watched with mortified expressions…would they even surface?

Above the water, a large Dragonite was resting in a small alcove. It was a seven foot tall dragon Pokemon, with orange wings and a large mouth. The Pokemon was flapping its wings carelessly at the waves, finding it somewhat amusing that it could change the current of the water. Being an overpowered Pokemon itself, its wings were creating tremendous whirpools in the waves. It was amused at its own antics, completely unaware however that it was preventing a certain pair of people from surfacing.

"CORPHISH!" Corphish yelled, using its Bubblebeams to propel it faster.

Squirtle nervously looked behind it toward Ash and May, whose bodies looked like they were going to float away at any moment. The two Water Pokemon brought their bodies side by side, and using their bodies as missiles, the quickly darted toward the white light and out of the depths of the water, fighting against the raging waves. The Dragonite looked in shock as a surfboard surfaced behind the Pokemon, with two exuasted humans on their knees pressed against one another.

"SQUIRTLE!"

"CORPHISH!"

The surfboard was floating on the water, and the crowd gasped when the two humans looked unconscious.

"Are…they ok?" Tana asked, worried.

"ASH!" Brock got up from his seat, almost willing to dive down onto the course himself and swim all the way over to where they were.

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu screamed.

Max stood silently, terrified to even think about what happened to his sister and best friend.

Dragonite continued to look at the surfboard absent-mindedly, before Corphish began to tell him off. The mighty dragon scoffed at the little lobster, and instead of coming to their aid, the Pokemon hovered in the air and flew off the course.

"A Dragonite?" Fredrick said to himself in shock, "That…that wasn't one of _our _Pokemon, was it?"

Corphish and Squirtle waded to the sides of the surfboard, going as close to their human masters as possible without tearing the tethers they were attached to. Their fears were relived however when Ash began to cough, moving his body slowly and trying to catch his breath. The boy spit out from his mouth and held his chest, breathing heavily and trying to absorb everything that just happened.

"Cor-phish!" Corphish yelled, elated to see its master alive.

"Ugh…May?" Ash asked nervously, looking at her body.

The girl was on her knees with her cheek resting against the pillar, her hair splattered in front of her eyes, not moving.

"MAY!" Ash screamed. He pulled her from her shoulders and turned her over, his heart nearly leaping out of his body for what he did to his friend. He pressed his right hand against her upper chest to see if she was still beating.

"Squirtle…" the worried Pokemon watched.

"They're above the waves now, but something seems wrong with May," Brock said sternly.

An aghast Max continued to stare.

Mortified, Ash rocked her body gently to see if she would open her eyes. His eyes lit up however once he felt it…she was breathing!

"MAY! You're breathing….wake up!" Ash cried happily.

The girl opened her eyes slowly, and within a few seconds, she quickly got out of Ash's arms and gagged over the edge of the surfboard. She coughed and gasped quite vehemently, and took in huge gasps of air when she had the chance.

"THEY'RE ALRIGHT, FOLKS!" Fredrick cheered. His voice lowered, "Lucky for me too…damn Dragonite…that wasn't even part of our race course Pokemon…nearly drowned those kids…"

"Look, May is sitting down on the board next to Ash!" Max cried happily.

Pikachu jumped on Max's shoulder, gleefully dancing on the young boy. Max wrapped his arms around Pikachu and spun around laughing and cheering. Both younger brother and Pokemon were estatic that their loved ones were alright.

"She's gagging, she must have lost her breath underwater," Brock sighed, "Damn, I don't want them to scare me like that."

"She'll be ok though, won't she?" Jamie asked.

"Most likely," Brock uttered.

Squirtle laughed and beamed in the water at its master, but was unable to jump into her arms due to it still being attached by the tether.

May panted, "I musta…swallowed half of the water in this ocean while I was down there…gah," she coughed, breathing heavily.

Ash grinned, placing his left hand on her shoulder. "Glad to see you're ok, you had me worried for a second."

Between her pants and coughs, she managed to put on a smile, "For someone who almost got us both killed, you're lucky I don't strangle you here on the spot, Ash Ketchum."

The two shared a laugh, sitting side by side peacefully on the surfboard. Their hands were on their knees, staring out on the horizon.

"That was some plan…diving underwater to escape being blown away by the bird Pokemon," May said softly.

"I'm sorry things didn't turn out exactly as I expected them to," Ash frowned, "I can't believe I nearly killed us both."

"You do some crazy things, I'll give you that," she said, coughing again. She wiped her mouth with her arm and started to breathe more regularly, "It was a good plan though, despite having my life flash across my eyes."

"Heh, you're pretty cheerful for a girl that lost her conciousness underwater," Ash said, nudging her playfully.

She hugged her knees tightly, turning to him with heartwarming eyes, "Part of me knew you wouldn't let me die anyway. You're Ash Ketchum and you can do anything, I'd expect nothing less."

"Yea…I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash nodded, his face lowering into his knees, "I'm sorry for that plan, putting our lives in danger like that…but it seemed like the only alternative to keep us in the race…"

May's face jolted like a shock of electricity, she quickly jumped to her feet and looked around perplexed.

"THE RACE?!" May said astounded, "I NEARLY FORGOT!"

She quickly put her hands on the tethers through the pillar and turned back toward Ash.

"Get up, Ash! We've got a race to win!" May urged him.

The Pokemon quickly jumped back into position in front of the surfboard, ready to move at their trainers command. Ash stood up on his legs and after staggering a bit, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Ash asked uncertainly.

The girl panted a few more times, her body still feeling weak and overwhelmed.

"I…think so…I'm feeling a little lightheaded but we're still in this competition, aren't we? We…gotta…make up for lost time."

Ash noticed her body trembling slightly, she was still coughing and panting between breaths as well. After some careful thinking, he took the tethers out from her hands and moved her behind him.

"What…what are you doing?" May asked.

"I'll steer, you hold onto me," Ash instructed.

"But, I can still…"

"No, it's fine. You want to win those swimsuits, don't you? Well if we don't get a move on you'll never get them!" Ash retorted.

"…OK!" she said without hesitating a beat. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pressed herself against his back.

"Ready?" Ask asked softly.

"We…we have to make up for lost time," she reminded him, "The other participants must be far ahead of us by now after all the time we wasted sitting here."

"I know," Ash nodded.

"Guess winning those swimsuits was a fantasy after all, eh?" May asked, discouraged.

The Pokemon began swimming again, as the surfboard floated on the water through the drifting race course. Ash looked around him to see where he was, and he came to a shocking revelation.

"I don't think so, May, notice anything odd about this part of the course?!" Ash asked.

May looked around, but she didn't notice anything different, "No, what?"

Fredrick explained the situation on the loudspeaker, "Well according to the judges and officials, we're going to let the "Little Rookies" slide on this one, folks! You see, when the two went underwater they ended up taking a short-cut through the course. They skipped an entire segment, one in which has managed to propel them to current second place! Since the two kids risked their lives underwater, and the fact that the Dragonite keeping them beneath the waves was a freeloader and not part of our "Pokemon traps," we're being lenient on the two, and instead of disqualifying them for skipping parts of the race and moving ahead several places, they will be allowed to continue!"

"Whoa, really? Did we really skip past a whole part of the race while going underwater?" May stuttered in disbelief.

"Seems like it, I think we passed a whole part that has to zigzag through some canyons…it takes a long time to get through that part too," Ash said, steering the board and instructing the Pokemon to make a right turn.

"So instead of wasting time we managed to save time!" May shouted happily, "Awesome, we're ahead of all of the competition but one!"

"Guess there was some benefit to nearly drowning ourselves, eh?" Ash smirked.

"After this is over, remind me to give you a good smack when we're in the hotel room. Ok, Ash?" May joked, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I am SO going to tell my Mom and Dad about this. They're not going to be too pleased when they hear that you tried to kill their daughter!"

Ash rolled his eyes as she giggled in his ears, squeezing his waist in the same playful manner that he had done before.

"Full speed ahead, Squirtle and Corphish!" she cheered.

~*~*~

"I still have that horrible taste in my mouth!" Precita snarled, steering the surfboard in the water.

"A pity, huh? To have you taste such vermin," Dan replied.

"Maybe you should have thought of a better plan. The fact that I actually had to use my teeth to bite those vines until they let go of our board really degrades me," Precita said angrily, "I hope those pathetic grass Pokemon learned their lesson, I nearly tore their vines off with my teeth."

"I heard them whimpering behind the reefs, no doubt about that," Dan laughed.

Precita wiped her mouth. "When we get back to the hotel remind me to wash my mouth out. Disgusting."

Sharpedo and Gorebyss slid past the current 4th place participants by shooting them into a canyon wall with their Water Gun attacks. The other participants struggled to get back on their board after the assault, only to find out that the tethers connecting their Pokemon had been torn.

"Entry #20 is DONE FOR!" Fredrick shouted.

"Sharpedo!" Sharpedo grunted, its fin moving in the air.

"Sharpedo is trying to warn us about something…" Precita pondered.

The surfboard surfed through a narrow river surrounded by large canyon walls, but parts of the walls looked like they were made out of metal.

"Pedo!" Sharpedo screamed.

"GET DOWN!" Precita yelled, ducking while still holding onto the tethers.

Pieces of the canyon wall began to open and slide up into a compartment. It wasn't a real canyon at all, but a fake one made out of metal and plastic. There were several holes in the canyon opening up, each with a certain Pokemon standing behind ready to attack.

Dan cowered behind his girl, placing his hands on her lower back. "What the hell is going on?"

"They're going to fire on us, you idiot!" Precita snapped.

Various elemental attacks shot out from the canyon walls toward their surfboard. Flamethrowers, Ice beams, Hyper Beams, Psywave, Water Pulse, and Thunderbolts were blazing out from every which direction. The canyon was illuminated in pretty but threatening colors, as every attack threatened to send Precita and Dan overboard.

"Avoid these attacks if you don't want to become lunch meat!" Precita glared.

Sharpedo and Gorebyss desperately tried to avoid the beams, pulling the surfboard erratically as some elemental attacks combined with one another and exploded in the distance. Some beams directly hit the surfboard, destroying pieces of it before Sharpedo and Gorebyss pulled it out of harms way. The surfboard bumped along the waves, crashing into the canyon walls a few times which shook the young couple violently.

Precita nervously stood up on the surfboard to see if they had left the canyon, only to be struck with a Thunderbolt attack herself.

"GAAAAAAAH!" she cried, feeling the jolts of electricity coursing through her veins.

"Precita!" Dan cried, grabbing onto her only to share her electric fate.

Sharpedo and Gorebyss then cheered triumphantly once they exited the canyon, thus leaving the crazy elemental attacks behind. Precita and Dan stood silently clinging together, their bodies burnt and their hard frizzled. The electric pain soon ceased, but it had left its mark.

"That was shocking, wasn't it?" Fredrick laughed.

The crowd joined in on the laughter, many amused to see that Precita and Dan _didn't _escape the elemental attacks unscathed.

"GOD DAMN THIS!" Precita screamed, "My silky dark hair is now totally ruined!"

"NOBODY treats us like this," Dan snarled, "C'mon, we gotta be close to first place now, let's take out whoever there is ahead of us, then we'll beat the crap out of that French announcer."

"Good idea," Precita grunted furiously, "I've had it with this crap. Once I get those swimsuits and the prize money, I'm going to have to show quite a few people that nobody messes with me."

~*~*~*

The race poured on with only four participants left on the course, the others all disqualified for various reasons during the race. Ash and May were in current 1st place, the shortcut they took underwater really helped them to catch up to the surfers ahead of them. Having passed up the now second place participants just a few minutes ago, Ash and May were filled with confidence.

They were getting close to the finish line which was only several miles away. The audience went wild, many cheering on the side of Ash and May, awaiting them to win the race. Scattered on the course were the last remaining obstacles, several red and yellow buoys that had to be avoided to remain at a good pace.

"The "Little Rookies" are almost at the end, folks, will they come in 1st place and win their prize money and swimsuits?" Fredrick shouted.

"You better believe we will!" May exclaimed in a collected manner.

"Just keep avoiding these buoys, after this we're home free, you guys!" Ash commanded.

Corphish and Squirtle acknowledged their trainer and zigzagged the surfboard carefully through the buoys. Corphish used its pincers to knock away some of the buoys that it would otherwise smack into.

"I can't believe it, Ash! After all we've been through we're actually going to win!" May said jovially.

"I'm pretty excited too, I'm glad to finally pay back our debt to Prof. Latrommi for one thing. At least I won't have that guilt anymore for breaking his machines," Ash said.

"And that pink bikini with the Skitty and Torchic designs will be mine…along with all the other ones!" May giggled, "I'm going to try them all on first thing after we win! I need to have someone tell me how I look in them though, you'll do that right, Ash?"

"Well I guess, but I was hoping we could get a bite to eat after the race," Ash said, "Nearly drowning really does work up an appetite."

"Er…ok then! First food and then the swimsuits!" May said, "I'd like to wash this horrible taste of salt water out of my mouth too for that matter….yuck."

There were several ramps ahead that were surrounded by buoys, apparently they were meant to give the winning participants a last boost of speed if they were neck and neck with their opponents.

"Our current 1st place participants are only a few miles from the goal now, with no opposition in sight!" Fredrick screamed, "So unless we're going to experience some kind of upset, looks like they have it in the bag!"

"FASTER!" Precita yelled, "We gotta catch up to them before it's too late!"

"Fine then, Gorebyss use your Ice beam attack on the water, we'll have to slide our way to the top!" Dan commanded.

Gorebyss obeyed its trainer and unleashed the energy attack on the water, crystallizing it and turning it into a slippery icy surface. The surfboard was then pulled on top of the ice while Sharpedo and Gorebyss swam on opposite ends of the icy path. With the surfboard sliding as fast as the Pokemon, this was nearly the only way they'd manage to keep up.

"I see the back of their surfboard," Precita squinted, "Use Water Gun on the target, Sharpedo!"

"Sharpedo!" the Pokemon cried, unleashing a jet of water on the back of Ash and May's surfboard.

Their surfboard shook upon impact, and since May wasn't holding on too tightly, the shock made her lose her grip as she fell off the back of the board into the water.

"What the heck?" May cried as she splashed backward into the waves.

"Corphish, Squirtle stop swimming!" Ash commanded, the Pokemon quickly brought their board to a halt.

Ash turned around to see May treading water innocently. She coughed and wiped her wet hair out of her eyes.

"Something must have hit us from behind," May said softly, "It couldn't be another racer though, we're so far ahead of everyone, aren't we?"

"Maybe it's another Pokemon trap? You know, something to catch us off guard before we get to the finish line?" Ash wondered.

May turned around, looking in the direction they came from. She was still treading in the water, but since they were nearly finished with the race, she wasn't in a rush to get back on board. "Oh well, I might as well get back on the board then. We'd be disqualified if you cross the finish line without me standing with you, remember?"

May noticed that Ash's face was focused on something, he was staring at something speeding in the distance.

"There's…someone coming from behind us!" Ash yelled.

"Entry # 13 is coming up the rear folks…it's Precita and Dan, the rightfully named "Aggressors!" Fredrick gasped, "Could they take the lead from the "Little rookies?"

"What?" May gasped, "I thought we were so far ahead of them that they'd never catch up!"

Suddenly May gasped in fear as the menacing Sharpedo opened its mouth and darted toward her. Its jaws were filled with razor sharp teeth, enough to tear a human to shreds in an instant. The Gorebyss swam on the other side, determined to take a stab at the girl as well. Precita and Dan's board was no longer on the icy path, but floating along on the water again.

"Sharpedo, there's your lunch! Have a taste of the girl if you please," Precita laughed devilishly.

May completely froze in fear, staring into the giant mouth that threatened to consume her.

"May, get back on the surfboard!" Ash cried.

"Cor-phish!" Corphish declared, opening its pincer and firing a Bubblebeam attack behind toward the Sharpedo.

The attack collided with the nose of the shark Pokemon, one of the weakest spots on its body. The Pokemon shook itself frantically to ease itself of the pain, which wobbled the surfboard quite erratically.

"Get a hold of yourself, Sharpedo!" Precita yelled, struggling to keep balanced on the bumpy surfboard.

Without realizing where it was going, Sharpedo slammed its fins against May's arm in the water. The Pokemon had a trait called "Rough skin," one in which would sting a person who came into contact with it.

May grunted, grabbing her left arm and rubbing it desperately to ease the pain. Precita and Dan's surfboard then forcefully slammed into Ash's, in which the boy fell off the surfboard as well. The board spun around a few times with Corphish and Squirtle attached in circles as Precita and Dan took the lead.

"What an upset!" Fredrick yelled, "Precita and Dan are now in the lead, and with both young trainers fallen off their surfboard, they'll have to get it together quickly or else they lost the race!"

"Shar-pedo," Sharpedo grunted, regaining its focus.

"Ha, I was hoping to get one more hit on the girl before we finished this race," Precita sneered.

"We're going to be passing through a few more buoys and ramps, and then we're done!" Dan said happily.

Knowing that they had no time to waste, Ash and May quickly swam back to their surfboard and got into position. May rubbed her left arm one last time before wrapping herself around his torso again. Ash asked her if the sting hurt, but she told him to nevermind and hurry up to catch up to their opponents.

"Let's get moving, guys!" Ash commanded, gripping the tethers, "This is the final stretch, we gotta catch up to them and win!"

"Corphish!"

"Squirtle!"

The board was pulled along rippling the water, with the two trainers as determined as ever to finally beat their opponents and end the race.

"Two can play at this game. Corphish, Squirtle…fire your attacks on the back of their surfboard!" May shouted.

Without hesitation, the two Pokemon aimed their elemental attacks at the back of Precita's board. Unfortunately for Ash and May, while it did slow them down a bit, neither Precita or Dan fell off.

"Since we're reaching the end of the race, no more penalties will be imposed on either side! Pokemon attacks are encouraged to gain a lead on your opponent, it's now or never!" Fredrick shouted. He covered the mike one more time, "YOU CAN DO IT, CHILDREN!"

Max, Brock, Pikachu, Tana and Jamie gave their last minute cheers and encouragement from the stands.

Precita and Dan were too focused on Ash and May coming up from behind that they weren't paying much attention to the obstacles on the course. They bumped into several small buoys which ended up slowing them down in the process. Meanwhile, Ash was carefully maneuvering his Pokemon around the buoys, and with all the training they did for the past week, this was a piece of cake.

The two surfboards met side by side, with both pairs glaring at each other with the same goal in mind, being number one.

"So you've caught up again, have you? Good, at least this won't be a boring finish," Precita said angrily.

Precita pulled the tethers to the right in which their surfboard collided with Ash and May's, trying to forcefully knock them off their board. This time however Ash and May were more determined than ever to hold on, and even pushed back on their own. Ash ordered Corphish to knock their board aside, and the powerful lobster did so accordingly. Its left pincer glowed in a white light as it struck the side of the opposing surfboard, knocking them far to the right in the distance.

"Gorebyss, use Shadow ball!" Dan commanded.

The Pokemon fired a dark energy sphere at their surfboard which caught Ash and May completely off guard. The entire left side of the surfboard crummeled into pieces against the impact of the attack. There was no longer an enclosed ledge where the two were standing, the last pieces on the left side of the surfboard fell apart.

"Now, Sharpedo, get in close and give them a bite attack!" Precita said, bringing the surfboard into closer range, "Tear their board to pieces! If they don't have anything to race on they won't be able to finish!"

"Shar….pedo!" the vicious Pokemon snarled, moving in for the kill. It swam as close to their surfboard as possible without breaking apart from the tether it was attached to.

"Watch out, Ash!" May cried, tugging on his arm.

The jaws of the shark Pokemon bit down on the edge of the surfboard, tearing off another large piece of the bottom. Ash and May desperately moved their feet out of the way and toward the right side of the board, otherwise the shark would have bit them clean off!

"This is just like you, Precita, sinking so low as to destroy our surfboard since you know we would beat you!" May yelled.

"What can I say? I do what I have to do to win," Precita chuckled, flicking her hair, "As I said before, the swimsuits are mine, little girl."

"In your dreams!" May retaliated, quite childishly.

Sharpedo moved in for another bite of the board, but an irritated Corphish slammed the Pokemon right on its head with its Crabhammer attack. The shark retreated and whimpered in pain.

With some quick thinking, Precita brought their surfboard to a halt and let Ash and May get in the lead. She then pulled the tethers to the right, hoping to get on the opposite side of their opposition. After a few more seconds the two surfboards were now side by side again, only this time Precita was on the right side instead of the left.

"Gorebyss, work your magic on that pathetic little Squirtle," Precita said.

"Squirtle move out of the way!" May cried, desperately.

Unable to react in time, Gorebyss stuck its long snout into Squirtles' hind leg. The tiny turtle Pokemon cried in pain as it felt its blood being drained by the malicious but beautiful Gorebyss.

"Squirt…squirtle…squirt!" Squirtle panted and gasped, unabled to shake its leg from Gorebyss' mouth.

May was enraged with small tears in her eyes, she moved to the edge of her board and started stomping on Gorebyss with her own feet.

"Get off my Squirtle!" May yelled, infuriated.

"Bysssssssssss," Gorebyss hissed, feeling the pounding on its head.

"Maybe we'll pull away," Ash grunted, pulling the tethers to the left.

The surfboard waded to the left hoping to pull away from Gorebyss' attack on the young Squirtle. Squirtle continued to cry helplessly as its leg started to feel numb.

"PHEESH!" Corphish screamed.

It fired its Bubblebeam attack over the other side of the surfboard hoping to hit Gorebyss, but it instead slammed into the edge of Precita's surfboard.

"That's enough, Gorebyss, pull back!" Dan commanded.

"Bysss?" Gorebyss was confused. It didn't want to retreat from its meal.

"Don't second guess me! PULL BACK, DAMMIT!"

"Bysssssss, Gorebysssssssssss," Gorebyss shook its head, its desire for blood was more satisfying.

"Obey me, you damn Pokemon!" Dan commanded, gripping the tethers, yanking it which harshly pulled the tether around Gorebyss' neck.

"BYSSSSSSSS…..byssssss!" Gorebyss cried, feeling the harsh tugs on its body. It pulled its mouth out of Squirtle's leg and returned to its masters' side.

"Squirtle, are you ok?" May asked frantically, peering over the edge of the board.

"Squirt…squirtle…" the Pokemon whined, still in a great deal of pain from having lost a lot of blood.

"Why'd you pull your Gorebyss back?" Precita asked.

"Because now we're going to go up a ramp!" Dan declared.

Their Pokemon and their surfboard then flew up a ramp which caught them several added seconds in the air ahead of Ash and May. Noticing that they were now in the lead, Ash and May had little options left with a half-destroyed surfboard and an injured Squirtle.

"Only two miles to the finish line, and Precita's team is currently in the lead!" Fredrick said, "The "Little Rookies" surfboard isn't looking too hot. It's taken a beaten and the board looks like its ready to fall to pieces! If they don't have something to surf on, they'll be **disqualifiiiiiiiiied!" **

"Damn it," Ash grunted, noticing more pieces of the surfboard break off from the abuse it took.

Squirtle struggled to keep swimming even with its leg injury, it knew it couldn't let is master down when they were so close to winning the race.

"We're catching up to them again…!" Ash screamed.

"Cor-cor phish!" Corphish grunted, propelling its pincers faster than ever before in the water.

"Dammit, them again!" Precita yelled, "Don't they know when to give up? Sharpedo use your Skull Bash on their surfboard!"

Sharpedo quickly darted for their board again and smashed its skull against the nose of their board, breaking off the entire frontal piece of their surfboard except for the small circular pillar that the tethers were tied through.

"Our whole surfboard is falling apart, Ash!" May exclaimed desperately. The bottom of the surfboard started to feel a little flimsy, almost as if what they were standing on would soon collapse.

"ONE MILE TO THE FINISH LINE!" Fredrick shouted, "IT'S COMING RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE, FOLKS!"

The lively crowd screamed and raved at the top of their lungs, many on the edge of their seats as to who would win.

"I've got an idea," Dan said, "Their board is in shambles, all we need to do is break off the circular pillar on the surfboard and rip apart their tethers and they'll be out of the race!"

"Hmmm, I love it when you're assertive," Precita licked her lips, "Remind me show my approval tonight in our room."

"Heh, thanks babe." Dan laughed.

Sharpedo and Gorebyss tried to ram into their surfboard once again, but this time completely missing their mark.

"They're getting cocky now and getting careless!" Ash exclaimed, "You guys aren't going to get another hit on us!"

"I beg to differ, Sharpedo use your Slash attack!" Precita declared.

Sharpedo opened its mouth and slashed the circular pillar with its teeth. The entire bottom of the pillar was loose off its foundation and looked like it was about to slide clean off.

"NO!" May shouted, forcing down the pillar with her hands, "If this comes off we lost the race!"

"Again, Sharpedo! Do whatever you have to to tear apart that pillar! Or better yet, try to tear off the tethers!" Precita instructed.

The feisty shark Pokemon returned for another strike, opening its jaws and ready to take apart the whole frontal part of the surfboard with one bite.

"Squirtllllee…." the tiny turtle muttered, firing a weak Water gun attack at Sharpedo's face.

Suddenly, Ash's foot crashed through the bottom of the board. He looked down in fear to see that the entire bottom of the surfboard was tearing in two! He desperately pulled his foot out of the bottom and stood on another part of the surfboard, only to have his foot break through the bottom once again!

"The "Little Rookies" surfboard looks like it hit rock bottom, folks! A few more tears in the right places, and they'll have nothing left to race on!" Fredrick shouted.

"Sharpedo, AGAIN!" Precita shouted.

"It's coming back!" May shrieked, still holding down the pillar with the circular opening so it wouldn't break off.

"WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Ash yelled, pulling the tethers to the right.

He looked up, and spotted something. It caught his eye, something that would be the key to victory.

"Another ramp!" Ash said excitedly, "It's the last one before the finish line! If we get on that we should get an extra boost of speed and make it past Precita!"

"That's if this board holds together until then!" May panicked, her foot crashing through the bottom herself, "For Prof. Latrommi and the promise I made to myself to beat Precita, we just GOTTA win this!"

There were now three holes on the bottom of the surfboard, with large tears coming through the center. The enclosed sides were already torn clean off in previous attacks, leaving little foot room at all. The nose of the board was destroyed, and the pillar in the center had a large tear on the bottom. If that broke off, the tethers would fall off with it, thus giving them nothing to pull along the board with. The surfboard was in shambles, and in less than a minute the entire board would collapse altogether.

"We're roughly 30 seconds away from the finish line, folks! THIS IS IT!" Fredrick shouted.

"The finish line is right ahead of them, I can see it!" Max shouted with joy.

"PIKACHU!"

"They just need to hold on a little more and they'll make it, c'mon!" Brock urged them.

"They're going to use the ramp to their advantage," Dan said.

"Who cares, the finish line is right there! Whatever boost they'll get will be too little too late," Precita said, "Sharpedo, Gorebyss….put all your remaining strength into getting across that line first!"

The finish line was a large checkered flag floating above the water attached to two buoys at both ends. There was large enough room for ten surfboards to make it through at the same time, but there was only one ramp left to give only a certain surfboard a particular advantage over the others.

"Ash, here's the ramp!" May gasped.

The surfboard flew off the ramp and into the air. Corphish and Squirtle hovered in the sky for a few moments, the latter holding onto its hind leg with its hand. May clutched onto Ash's waist in anticipation as their surfboard was starting to fall back down into the waves.

"We're gonna make it!" Ash shouted.

"C'mon, c'mon!" May hoped excitedly.

Their water Pokemon plummeted back down into the water with what little there was left of the surfboard behind them. They were roughly neck and neck with Precita's surfboard, the boost giving them a near one second advantage.

"We're almost there!" Ash cried.

"NO, we're going to make it!" Precita grunted.

"They'll approach the finish line in 10 SECONDS!" Fredrick declared.

"Gah! We have almost nothing left to stand on!" May gasped. She was standing on the one small piece of surface left, the same one that Ash was. Their four feet were huddled together on one tiny piece of the bottom that was still holding by a thread.

"FIVE SECONDS!"

The two boards were right next to each other, neither party knowing which board was slightly ahead of the other. Corphish, Squirtle, Sharpedo and Gorebyss put all their last remaining strength into propelling through the finish line.

Ash, May, Precita and Dan were in the moment, all four of the knowing that it would be over in a second, and the winner would be declared. May made one last second wish to herself that she'd win the swimsuits, something she had trained to win for a full week. She was still obsessed with the swimsuits, particularly the Skitty/Torchic one, but she was also intent on finally putting Precita and Dan in their place for all the trouble they caused her. There was too much at stake; the pain and humiliation they caused her at the club when they first met, the fight they got into with Chaz and Eliza on the beach, where Ash was delivered a harsh blow to his stomach, the various and persistent ridicule and insults, and last but not least, the pain their Gorebyss caused to her Squirtle by sucking blood viciously out of its tiny leg.

Ash had thoughts of both the Professor and May filling his mind, knowing he couldn't disappoint either. In the blink of an eye, this would be it…the moment of truth.

"AND IT'S OVER!" Fredrick shouted, shooting a signal into the sky.

Both surfboards passed the finish line, with neither participants' knowing which one made it through first. Ash and May were relieved that their surfboard managed to hold together right until the end, but they were unsure whether they had won.

"Our camera and recordings will reveal who passed the finish line a second before their opponent!" Fredrick said.

"It's just gotta be Ash and May!" Max shouted.

"I think it did look like it was them," Tana said excitedly.

"That was a good race, they're going to announce the winner in a second because it was so close that no human eye could catch it," Brock said.

Pikachu pondered the win in its mind.

"Phew, good job, Corphish and Squirtle." Ash said.

Off his last remark, the entire surfboard they were standing on collapsed. Ash and May fell through the bottom and into the water, with the entire pillar on the surfboard tearing off and falling into pieces as well.

Ash and May waded apart in the water and cradled their Water Pokemon in their arms. May hugged her Squirtle tightly, eyeing its leg where it had been assaulted. She promised to take the little turtle right to a Pokemon Center so it could heal.

Precita and Dan still stood on their surfboard, awaiting the results.

"Do you think we won, Ash?" May asked confidently.

"Sure we did!" Ash said triumphantly, "We passed through the finish line first, there's no doubt about that."

"Corphish, corphish, cor cor!" Corphish said energetically.

Ash and May shared a chuckle as Squirtle smiled in her arms.

"Alright, folks, the results are in!" Fredrick said, "The winners will receive the prize money as well as fifteen different two-piece bikinis for the female participant in the race!"

"Please please…be us…" May prayed one last time.

"C'mon…" Ash uttered.

Fredrick continued after building anticipation, "And the winners of this years' Water Pokemon Surfing Competition are…."

He flung his arm around to the winners, and put on a huge smile while saying their names.

"…Precita and Dan!"


	30. The good and the bad things of a lose

**Chapter 30**

**"****The good and the bad things of a lose****"**

We lost.

She repeated that line to herself during the award ceremony, when all of the participants of the race gathered for a fireworks display and the crowning of Precita and Dan as champions of the 2006 Water Pokemon surfing competition.

She sat on her seat next to Ash, and his Pikachu. The rest of the crowd was roaring with applause and acclaim for Precita and Dan as they stood on the podium, gloating about their victory in all their glory. She watched as Dan held the golden trophy above his head and snickered at the audience. She watched as Precita was awarded 15 two-piece bikinis for her victory, the swimsuits that should have been _hers _instead. She watched as Fredrick handed them a giant check for the prize money, something she promised that she would re-pay Professor Latrommi with. And worst of all, she watched as Precita strutted on stage with her new prize swimsuits.

Precita quickly pulled a curtain over herself on stage, and would come out like a model, strutting her body at the audience as they would gawk at her beauty and take pictures of her. She knew it was coming, and she knew Precita was building up for it.

May rocked her head gently against the wooden seat, trying not to feel any contempt or angst toward the situation. It wasn't so much that she lost the race that bothered her, as well as losing the prize money and the swimsuits she desperately wanted, it was the fact that she lost to _her. _Had it been any other participant in the race that won instead of Precita and Dan, it would have lessened the blow.

_Was it really all worth it? _she thought to herself, _Did any of this make a difference? Did it matter? _

She closed her eyes somberly, it was hard to absorb the information. What if everything Precita said was right all along? What if winning or losing didn't depend on what type of person you were, but rather what you did to get from point A to point B?

Was the abuse worth it? She turned over her left arm and rubbed it tenderly. There was a rash and some broken skin, still there from when Sharpedo brushed against her harshly during the race. She turned both her arms over to the other side, eyeing the very faint scratch marks from when Eliza had tripped her at the club on the boardwalk. It wasn't anything serious, and both incidents didn't hurt for more than a few minutes, but the concept still bothered her. Worst of all, she knew her Squirtle got it much worse than she did.

Her young Squirtle was resting at the Pokemon Center between Prof. Latrommi's lab, the scorched forest, and Atona beach. After the race ended and Precita was declared the victor, Brock and Max didn't hesitate to take Squirtle to the Pokemon Center to heal. She was unnerved about the whole ordeal, but she knew that Brock and her younger brother would get it there safely. She had to stay for the award ceremony after all, but at the same time she felt horrible for not being at her Squirtle's side and taking it there herself. She was its trainer after all, the little turtle considered May to be its mother. Thoughts filled her mind about how Ash didn't leave Swellow's side when he needed surgery, and she wanted to be there the same way for her Squirtle.

Was the assault on Squirtle fair? She pondered it to herself, about how Gorebyss stuck its mouth inside Squirtle's hind leg and began draining it of its blood. Was this any different than any other Pokemon attacks, such as when a Pokemon bites down with its jaws on another Pokemon during battle? She had checked her Pokedex on Gorebyss after the race, and it was indeed a trait of the Pokemon to drain its prey of its bodily fluids. Therefore, it shouldn't have been any different than when her Squirtle fired its Water Gun and Ice beam attacks on its opponents. Still, it bothered her a great deal. She knew that this wasn't any Pokemon battle, but Precita and Dan were using their Pokemon to maliciously harm her own, without any care or concern for their well-being. It brought a tear to her eye, hearing her Squirtle cry in pain as something forcefully inserted itself into its leg. It was like getting a shot by the doctor, only here the needle didn't stop after it got some blood, here it was draining _all _of the blood. She sighed and opened her eyes, only to see Precita posing in a glamorous and revealing green bikini.

Ash sat holding Pikachu in his lap beside her, not wanting to stay and watch Precita's spectacle any more than she did. He was mostly silent after the race, not really sure what to say about the situation. After he watched Brock, Max and the girls give them their best wishes and volunteer to bring Squirtle to the Pokemon Center, he couldn't help but feel that he was robbed of his victory.

They lost fair and square. The video recordings and judges didn't lie, Precita and Dan's surfboard crossed the finish line a mere second before theirs did. When he first started practicing for the competition, he was taken back by how good the competition on the training course was. He wasn't sure if he and May were up for the challenge, to train for less than seven days and somehow manage to get better than a bunch of expert surfers who had been training for months. Maybe it was the determination he shared with May to win the race, or the bond they had with their Pokemon that compelled them to do the best they could. Whatever it was, they managed to shine in the race and come in 2nd place. There was no prize for 2nd place, just a pat on the back and some false smiles with slippery hand shakes from random judges and officials. He should have been pleased with his performance, but like May, the fact that he had lost to Precita and Dan only added insult to the injury. Likewise, the promise he made to both May and Prof. Latrommi was shattered. She would never get those swimsuits she worked so hard for, and Prof. Latrommi wouldn't be frolicking along, cashing a giant check in his bank account either.

Ash and May sat side by side, with their minds heavily focused on their defeat. The sun was setting and it was starting to get a little chilly, especially since they were still in their bathing suits, but it didn't matter. His right leg and her left leg were resting against one another as they sat, a tiny bit of warmth let each other know that there was someone who cared very deeply sitting right beside them.

Ash scratched Pikachu behind the ear, and smiled as the Pokemon cooed with affection. He noticed May scratching the broken skin on her arm, and figured now was the best time to talk.

"It'll heal soon," he said softly, watching her brown hair blow in the breeze.

May let out a breath, content to know that she had someone to confine her thoughts with. "I know. It doesn't stop it from itching like crazy though," she said sweetly, scratching her arm gently.

"That's pretty funny," Ash snickered.

She raised an eye brow, uncertain whether he was being serious or not. "And what is so funny about it, mister?" she asked.

"My head used to itch me like crazy too. I always wanted to scratch it when it was healing, especially when Nurse Joy put those itchy bandages around my head. You know, from when that tree branch struck me in the forest?" he asked, knowing that she would get what he was talking about it.

May smiled while scratching her arm continually, it was still irritating her, "And I had to keep pulling your hand down because otherwise you'd keep scratching it like a big dummy."

"Or else I could make the wound open up more, right?"

"Yeah, that is what Joy said," she replied, rubbing her arm again.

Ash reached over and picked up her right hand that was scratching her arm, and placed her hand down on her lap instead.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked curiously.

"I have to pull your hand down because otherwise you'd keep scratching it like a big dummy," Ash smirked.

May chortled, he always found a way to make her laugh, even in a time like this. Her cheery smile filled up her face once more, brining back the happy-go-lucky girl that he considered to be his very best friend. "Or else I could make the wound open up more, right?" she asked, repeating his question word for word.

"Yeah, because that's what _I _said," Ash replied, winking.

She took another glance up at Precita and Dan on stage, and then shifted her eyes to something more alluring, Ash.

"The bump on the back of your head is pretty much healed now, isn't it?" she asked curiously.

Ash felt the back of his head and nodded, "At this point yeah, it's healed and my head is back to normal. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly. Ash rewarded his Pokemon with more scratches behind its ears.

"I guess I'll heal soon too then," May replied, looking down at her arms and the small pieces of broken skin. "And then I'll be as good as new again, perfect May at 100%!"

Precita walked behind the curtains on stage again, ready to change into another swimsuit that she had won. May didn't pay much attention, she didn't care to see her walk out again with another prized swimsuit and receive glamorous appeal from camera men and other shoddy media humpers. She pondered if she had to sit there while Precita went through all fifteen swimsuits, it was a grueling moment for the principal of seeing someone she despised getting something she wanted.

When Precita removed the curtain however and walked on stage, May simply couldn't turn away. She was wearing _that _swimsuit. May's eyes opened wide as Precita walked toward the camera wearing her favorite bikini. The bikini was a bright pink, which didn't clash well with Precita's dark hair or personality at all. It had an imprint of a chibi Skitty face on the right cup of the top. It also had the design of a cheery Torchic face on the backside of the bottom. The bikini gave out the impression of a sweet, innocent and happy young girl, but the person wearing it was anything but the above.

May watched in envy at Precita wearing what she had strived to win for a week. The contempt didn't stop there however, Precita deliberately walked on the podium as close to May's seat as possible. The dark haired woman jeered while looking the girl straight in the eyes. The dark haired woman's mouth cracked open revealing that devilish grin for the umpteenth time. The two girls eyed each other down, one from below and one from above. Without even exchanging dialogue, Precita got her point across. She broke the eye contact and retreated back on stage, posing for a bunch of drooling fans in the audience. The meaning was still engraved in May's mind however, she knew what Precita meant. She had taken almost everything joyous away from May since the day they met, and this apparently was the coup de grace. She had won the spoils, and everything May worked for was lost by a mere second, a mere game of chance.

May quickly rose to her feet, and tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here, Ash," she said in a defeated manner. She began to nudge her way out of the rows of seats, trying not to trip over anyone's feet on the way out.

"She's right, Pikachu, there's nothing more for us here," Ash said. Pikachu hopped on the boys' shoulder as he followed his friend out of the rows of wooden seats.

She waited for him to walk by her side, and once he caught up to her, the two agreed to head back up to the hotel. Before they could leave the award ceremony however, someone approached them to give their last regards.

A familiar man with a curly mustache, a refined suit, and a French accent reached out his hand to get a hand shake from Ash. Fredrick smiled, "Going so soon, my friends? The award ceremony continues for another 20 minutes."

Ash shook his hand while May and Pikachu smiled contently. "It's been fun and all, Fredrick, but we don't really want to sit here while Precita puts on a fashion show."

"Another 20 minutes of that and I'll never look at another swimsuit the same way again," May added, discontented with the mockery on stage.

"Why the long faces? You two came in 2nd place, that's quite an honor!" Fredrick said eccentrically, "I know you really wanted to win the prizes of course, but at least take in the pride of how much you've accomplished here."

"That's true," she said, "But as you said before, there's no prize for 2nd place."

"Did I mention that I was on your side during the entire race? Normally I don't take sides and root for a team over another, but you two were really spectacular out there on the race course. I've never seen such willpower and coordination between trainer and Pokemon before, it was truly astounding," Fredrick said enthusiastically, "You two were simply _monsters _on the course, it was breathtaking and awe inspiring."

"Thanks a lot, Fredrick!" Ash said happily.

"It really was one of the more exciting races we've had in years, thanks to the efforts you two gave. One more thing, if there's any way I can help you during the rest of your stay at Atona beach, I'll be glad to offer," Fredrick said, folding his hands.

"Chuuu, pika…" Pikachu uttered.

"Well…I dunno…" Ash pondered.

"Wait a sec," Fredrick said. He slipped out a small piece of paper and a pen from his pocket, and began jotting down numbers.

"What are you doing?" May asked.

Fredrick slipped his pen back in his pocket and handed the slip of paper to Ash. "That's my private phone number on the paper there, not just the phone number for the race event, but one in which you can reach me directly."

"Uh…thanks…I guess?" Ash said unsurely, slipping the piece of paper into the pocket on his swimming trunks.

"You're giving us your phone number out of gratitude for our participation in the race?" May asked naively, putting her hands on her hips.

"I…just want to thank you kids, you've made a middle-aged man like me proud," Fredrick sniffed, "Just think of it as a gesture…so long!"

"Erm, we will," Ash said.

Fredrick waved goodbye for a moment while walking back toward the podium and joining the other race officials and judges. Ash and May stood there dumbstruck, wondering what the hell that was all about.

"I'm starting to think that every single person we've met since our time here has something wrong with them," May smiled, shaking her head.

"He was just being friendly!" Ash said, waving his arms. "There's nothing wrong with friendly people."

"Pika pika," Pikachu said, echoing its trainer.

"If you say so, Ash," May said yawning. She clung to his left arm and pulled him toward the boardwalk. "Enough about that for now though, c'mon, I'm starved. How 'bout you buy me dinner?"

"Isn't it a little early for dinner? It's only 5:00pm!" Ash retorted.

"I…just need something to take my mind off of everything that's happened at the moment," she replied, "I know that Brock and the others are going to bring back my Squirtle fully healed in another hour or so, but in the meantime I really have to stop worrying."

"Diving into a full-course meal usually does clear your mind," Ash said as he licked his lips, "Mmmmmm, I can just taste that roasted chicken now…yummy!"

"ASH!" May scolded, "My Combusken would resent you for that, you know!

"Oops, sorry," Ash sighed, slapping his face. "Hmmm, they have lobster at those restaurants too don't they? Now that's tasty!"

"I don't think Corphish would like it too much that you were eating one of its cousins!" May mocked.

"Oh brother," Ash said, slapping his face again, "Maybe I'll just settle for peanut butter and jelly instead."

"Tee hee!" she giggled.

~*~*~

Squirtle was resting peacefully in its Pokeball on the dresser in the hotel room. As expected, it didn't take long for Joy to help it with its blood loss. May hugged her little brother tightly in her arms, she was pleased with his determination to get Squirtle safely to the Pokemon Center. Max tried to pull away from his sister after some more embarrassing hugs, she was beginning to act more and more like her mother Caroline everyday.

Brock related the news that Joy put Squirtle on high priority, especially since she was the same Joy that helped with Swellow and Ash's injuries just a week ago. He also told them that Tana and Jamie returned to their hotel room after coming back to the beach, they now realized how much trouble the group could get into without Brock being there to come to their aid.

Ash took his hat off his head and rubbed his hand through his hairline, he was just about ready to hit the sack, but he had one important phone call to make before the night was through. He turned on the monitor for the green videophone and dialed the number, and a few moments later the jovial Professor Latrommi appeared on screen. Ash wondered if the Professor's nose managed to grow every time he called him, especially since it managed to take up even more of the screen then before.

"I suppose you've heard the news on TV by now, right, Professor?" Ash asked.

"News? What news? I've been spending the night clipping my toe nails and writing a letter of complaint to Devon Corp. for forgetting to mail me my check this month, but I'm sure you have something very important to tell me hmmmm?" Latrommi said sagaciously.

"It's about…"

"No wait, don't tell me!" Latrommi said, pressing his hand against the video monitor. "It's about the surfing competition, yes?"

"Well yeah…"

"Ah good, I must be psychic because it's pretty easy to read your mind, not that there's much there to begin with but that's beside the point." Latrommi said, "You won, right? You and the girl came in 1st place, correct?"

"Eh…not exactly," Ash frowned. He looked around the room and saw May lie restlessly on her bed.

"…you're joking…?" Latrommi gasped, "I'd advise you not to tease an old man, you know a centenarian like me could have a stroke or heart attack at any moment, right? Now now, I'm sure you'll be bouncing over to my lab with your cheery, naïve little schoolchildren like personalities with a giant check in your hand so I can deposit it into my bank account tomorrow morning."

"I've always wondered what it'd be like to hold one of those giant checks, you can get pretty big paper cuts from those things I guess," Ash said, trying to buy some leeway in the conversation.

Latrommi appeared to be slightly irritated, "…wait a second, so…you're really not pulling my chain? You really didn't win? You spent seven days amounting to nothing on a beach when you could have been working in my lab paying off your debt instead? So…YOU MEAN ALL OF THIS WAS FOR NOTHING?!"

"Well besides spending a lot of time having fun with my friends, we kind of dropped the ball on this one, Professor. Sorry," Ash said truthfully.

"Oh for Pete's sake," Latrommi slapped his head, "What place did you come in then? I hope you weren't goofing off on the beach this entire time!"

"We came in second!" Ash said defensively, "May and I raced with our Squirtle and Corphish, we were in 1st place for the longest time too! In the end though, we lost by a lousy second, probably because our board was splitting in two while Precita's board was still good as new."

"Your whole surfboard was torn apart too? Don't you know how to take proper care of your things, boy?" Latrommi asked.

"We kinda ran into trouble on the race course…our whole board fell apart after the race ended. Pretty much all of our money was spent on that board too," Ash said.

"You're the kind of person who pushes a pull door, aren't you?" Latrommi asked.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Latrommi sighed, "What am I going to do with you kids? Hmmm, that prize money really would have paid me back for the machines you destroyed. Now I should ponder whether I should make you kids work to the bone for me for a full week or I should just let you go."

"The second choice sounds good!" Ash cheered, "You got another shipment of those mechanical arms anyway, so everything is back to normal and it's like nothing ever happened!"

"DON'T try to pretend the past never happened, son!" Latrommi screamed at the monitor, "We can cover up old mistakes with replacements and push things far back into our mind as possible, but that doesn't mean that it never happened. What's done is done, but we can't forget what was done either."

"Erm, so what do you suggest, Professor?" Ash asked.

A ringing sound came from behind Prof. Latrommi in the lab.

"Ah, looks like my chicken teriyaki is ready. You know what, I think I'd better rant about the subject to myself in my own ludicrousness as I eat my dinner. I'll let you kids know what I think of the matter after I sleep over it, in any case. Maybe next time you'll catch me in a better mood," Latrommi said as he shut off the video monitor.

Ash stared at the screen blankly, hanging up the green phone on the receiver.

~*~*~*

"Why can't you sleep?"

"Because I'm not tired?"

"You were exhausted after the race ended though, I figured you'd probably want to go to bed early tonight."

May's body leaned against the front door of the hotel room. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, while one foot was bent and leaning against the door. She was wearing her spandex shorts and her yellow t-shirt.

Ash sat on the bench on the opposite of the door, against the ferns and railings of the catwalk. He had on his black T-shirt with the orange stripe, but he was wearing nothing but his boxers under that. It was a peaceful night, the catwalk was empty except for the two of them.

As much as she didn't want to admit that she was tired, her face proved otherwise. She could barely keep her eyes from closing and yawned a few times during their conversation. It was never like May to get up out of bed during the night and spend time by herself without telling anyone. Ash knew that she was lying, and that something had to be on her mind to keep herself up at this time of night. It was what led him to get up out of his own bed and follow her outside the hotel room, his concern for his friend was what he valued the most.

"Why don't you just go back inside and go to bed, Ash? The others are all sleeping, you don't have to worry about me!" May said, pushing the locks of her hair behind her ears.

"Are you still thinking about the race?" Ash asked, folding his hands in his lap.

"NO!" May shouted. Her voice echoed throughout the open catwalks, which startled both of them. She sighed and tried to regain her composure. "No, Ash, now just go to bed."

"And how late do you plan on staying up?" Ash asked, "You're almost always the first one to start snoring every night, which is why it seems strange that you got up and walked out of the hotel room by yourself."

"…and?" she urged him, "I told you, I'm just not sleepy tonight."

Soon afterward, she let out another yawn and rubbed her eyes. Once she realized what she had done, and caught Ash with a sly expression on, she knew she could no longer use that excuse.

"You seem to be yawning a lot for someone who isn't sleepy," Ash said, getting up from the bench.

She rolled her eyes. "OK, so _maybe _I am a little sleepy. I still don't see why you followed me out of the hotel room to check up me. I'm a big girl, Ash, I can take care of myself."

Ash walked toward her and looked her in the eyes. May remained in her position of leaning against the hotel room door, with one foot pressed up against it as well.

"Well…" Ash sighed, "If you're not going to tell me anything then I guess I should just go back to bed, right?"

"That would be for the best," May nodded, "Don't worry, I'll go to bed soon too."

She moved away from the door, and turned the doorknob. The door creaked open slightly, as Ash peered into the dark room where his friends were sleeping.

"I still think it's a little strange that you're staying out here by yourself, in your pajamas no less," Ash said, pointing to her yellow T-shirt.

"Look whose talking," May snickered, pointing to Ash's boxers. "At least I didn't come out here in my underwear."

Ash's face turned red from embarrassment. He looked to the floor and tried to retaliate with a come back, although his voice went dry.

"I…didn't feel like throwing my sweatpants on…since I thought I was only going to be out here for a few seconds," Ash gasped, "Besides, boxers are barely different than swimming trunks anyway, so it's not really any different than how you see me on the beach all the time."

May giggled, her temptation was getting the best of her. She devised up a plan in her mind to see how red she could get Ash's face to become, mainly for the fact that she found something alluring about the way he'd try to defend himself.

"But on the beach…you know…you're not wearing a shirt either," May said sweetly, rubbing her toe on the floor, "You're wearing your black shirt now, but you're probably right about boxers not being that different than a bathing suit."

Ash had his hand on the doorknob, but instead of walking in the room, he hesitated and continued the conversation with her.

"I'm…glad you agree with me now," Ash stuttered, "I don't think it's all that different really."

They continued to eye one another, each knowing that something was brewing at the moment. May tried to come up with something else to say, but she couldn't get her next sentence to formulate into words. She knew that if she didn't say something soon, Ash would walk into the room and go back to sleep. However, Ash was purposely waiting for her to say something as well, as he found something entertaining about their little "game."

May blushed slightly, staring at the floor. She didn't have the courage to say the next line while staring at him in the eyes. "If…your boxers are not much different than your bathing suit…I guess you already know what I look like in my underwear too, Ash?"

"Hmm?" Ash uttered nervously.

May's eyes briefly glanced up at him, before returning back to the pavement on the ground. "You know, my bikini?"

He hesitated again, this time slightly shutting the hotel room door so their conversation couldn't be heard inside, just in case Brock or Max would hear their voices.

"I…guess so. The top of your bikini does kinda look like your bra," Ash said.

"Wha…what? When…did you see my bra, Ash?" May gasped, flustered.

"Oh, I never told you," Ash replied innocently.

May and Ash's faces were deep red, both kicking themselves for starting this conversation about underwear in the first place.

"It was our first day arriving at the hotel, Max and I went back to the hotel room while you were on the boardwalk. I was looking for an empty dresser to put all my clothes in after I had changed into my bathing suit," Ash said. He noticed May was following him word for word. He continued, "And…I tried putting my clothes in the big cabinet with the two large doors…but when I tried to open it, it was stuck."

"That's…the cabinet where I put my clothes, Ash," May said softly.

"I know that _now, _but not back then," Ash said, trying to avoid eye contact with her. "Your brother and I pulled on the doors so they would open, but there was something stuck. We pulled as hard as we could, and once the doors flung open, all your clothes flew out too!"

"Oh brother," May said, hiding her face in her hands.

"Eh…your bra kinda landed on my head," Ash uttered, trying to recall the events word for word. "That's…how I know your bikini looks like your bra…May."

"Wow, this is pretty embarrassing," May said in nervous laughter. She turned away from him and walked two feet forward. She turned around to face him again, but this time a jolt of electricity went through her body as she managed to make eye contact with him again. She started to get a tight feeling in her chest, almost as if she wanted to finally tell him something that she had been confused about for months now. She had lingering feelings floating in her mind for awhile, even more so after spending so much time clutching one another on the beach. She wasn't completely sure of her own feelings, or _why _she was feeling this way, but she wanted to ask him to see what he thought.

"Ash…?" she asked, walking up to him.

"Of course, this doesn't even compare to the time when I saw you naked after you came out of the shower!" Ash blurted out.

"ASH!" May shrieked, in a complete contrast to what she was just about to ask him. Her face was a dark shade of magenta, she yelled at him aggravated, "You just couldn't let me forget about that embarrassing incident, could you?" she gasped, "You and your curiosity as an infant!"

Ash, noticing things were getting too hectic and awkward, figured that now was the best time to call it a night. He turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping one foot inside the room.

"Uh…well like you said, I shouldn't have followed you out here…uh…good night, May!" Ash said quickly, slamming the door shut behind him.

A distressed May stood on the catwalk by herself staring at the metal door.

She slapped her forehead in regret. "Why do I start these conversations with him?" she moaned.

She leaned her back against the hotel room door and looked up at the night sky, with even more confused thoughts roaming her mind than before. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

After calming down a bit, she slipped out something that she concealed from Ash under her shirt. It was the reason she came out to the catwalk by herself, it was something she didn't want him to know she was looking at.

She sighed again, holding the photograph in her hands.

"Jeez, Ash, how am I going to deal with you?" she said sarcastically.

She brought the photograph to her eyes, looking at it compassionately. She was standing beside Ash in front of the Petalburg Gym, with her little Torchic by her side and Pikachu by his. They had positive, promising faces on, both happily posing with Pokeballs in hand at the camera. The picture was taken by Caroline, her mother, the day when May introduced Ash to her parents for the first time, and when her little brother Max decided to tag along with them. It was a picture taken to celebrate the start of May's journey as a Pokemon trainer, the start of a bold, promising new direction in May's life. Her parents urged her to immortalize this moment, and they wanted Ash to be in the photo too, the young boy who agreed to take their daughter under his wing during their journey.

It's been a long time since then, but May kept the photo in her fanny pack ever since. It wasn't just because she wanted to remember the moment at the beginning of her Pokemon career, but because she wanted to remember her thoughts about Ash as well. She realized something, that right from the very beginning, Ash was always there for her if she needed him. Most of all though, she recalled how cute she thought Ash was when they first met. As time went on however, her priorities started to shift toward her Contests and her dream of becoming a top coordinator. Her feelings for Ash…and another boy that she met a number of times during her journey…continued to linger in her mind throughout her quest, but the Contests were far more important. It was the same way Ash put his Gyms and his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master before everything else, she knew that after watching how determined Ash was, she had to do the same.

She looked at the photograph again, the feeling of nostalgia continuing to swarm over her.

_We're so close, Ash and I. _May thought, _I've never really put much thought in it, although I suppose I really do like him. _

"Heh, you're crazy, May," she muttered to herself out loud, "Maybe the fact that I've been holding him around and having him hold me around every day for the past week has something to do with it."

She calmed down and looked at the picture again, the picture that showed the two of them and their starter Pokemon, at the very beginning of her Pokemon journey.

_Or maybe I really do have a thing for him. _she thought in her mind again. _Ash…would he want me as more than a friend? _

She pressed the picture against her chest affectionately, and leaned her head against the door and came to a conclusion.

She was falling in love.

~*~*~

"Morning!" Max said gleefully.

"Ugh, let me sleep 5 more minutes, Mom," May said in her sleep, turning in her bed.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Max said again, rubbing her shoulders.

In her sleep, she pushed away her brothers' hand and pulled the covers over her head.

"Aw c'mon, sis, you can't be _that _tired can you? It's 10am already!" Max stated.

Ash, Brock and Max were fully clothed standing in the hotel room. Pikachu was on top of Ash's shoulder, eating a chocolate bar that Ash had given him. The trio had just returned from eating breakfast down at the dining area of the hotel room, and returned to the room to see if May awoke.

"May is a late sleeper, we might as well let her sleep a little longer," Brock said.

"She must have stayed up really late last night," Ash frowned, "She didn't tell me what she was doing either."

"Well I'm not going to stand here all day while my sister sleeps, can we head out to the boardwalk and hit the arcade? I've always wanted to see what cool videogames they have there!" Max said excitedly.

"An arcade, they have one here?" Ash asked, interested, "I haven't played a videogame in a long time!"

"When you're always on the road, you don't have time for games," Brock laughed.

"I've always wanted to get myself a Nintendo DS, but my parents would never let me," Max said disappointedly, "They always said that Pokemon "simulators" were nothing compared to real-life battling. That is true of course, but I think those games based on real life trainers is educational too, since it teaches you all about type advantages and all the attacks…and it's a lotta fun too!"

"Has May ever been interested in videogames?" Ash asked, gazing over at her as she sucked her thumb in her sleep.

"Eh, not really," Max said, "When we were younger she just played with her stupid dolls."

The group agreed to head out to the arcade and let May sleep a little longer. Since they were done with the surfing competition, and the fact that their surfboard was destroyed and they didn't have any money to buy another one, they decided to spend the day exploring the rest of the boardwalk.

Two hours later, May was sitting upright on her bed and pushed her shoe up on her foot. She got up from the bed and stretched out her back until she heard the crack, and then strapped her fanny pack around her waist.

"That was a good nights' sleep," May said positively, "Now I gotta find out where all the guys ran off to without me…"

She walked over to the dresser, where the pamphlet for the surfing competition rested. Disappointed, she picked up the pamphlet and flipped to the pages that showed the swimsuits…one last time.

The hotel room door opened up, which startled May as she hid the pamphlet behind her back. She was relieved however when Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Max entered the room.

"Oh, you guys…" May said relieved.

"Who were you expecting, Team Rocket?" Ash joked.

"May, you wouldn't believe how many cool games that arcade has over there!" Max said energetically, "It has shooting games and everything, and best of all most of the games are completely free!"

"Oh please, Max," May snorted, "You know I have no interest in silly videogames."

"Aw, you wouldn't be saying that if you actually saw them," Max retorted.

May held the pamphlet in her right hand and sat down on the edge of her bed. The others watched as she looked at he swimsuit pictures once again.

"Still…looking at those swimsuits?" Ash asked, hesitating a bit.

"Yea, seems kind of silly though now that the race is over, right?" May asked as she smiled, "Still, it doesn't hurt to dream."

"Pika, chu, pika," Pikachu said, tapping Ash's shoulder.

"I know, Pikachu," Ash sighed.

"Well I guess this fantasy is over," May said, getting up from the bed. She walked over to the wastebasket against the wall. "I can still picture myself wearing some of these swimsuits, like that Torchic and Skitty one, and the green one…"

"May, you can't obsess over one thing forever," Brock said sympathetically, "It's best to just move on."

Ash stared at her solemnly, she looked so _depressed. _

"You're right, Brock, we can't have everything we want in life, can we?" May sighed, "It would have been neat to have these, but it's really no big deal."

She gazed upon her favorite swimsuits one last time, and then in an instant, she tore the pamphlet in two. The tearing felt like a sharp blade cutting through her heart, almost as if something she deeply treasured was about to be discarded. She folded the pamphlet and tore it again, and eventually tore it so many times until there was barely anything left but tiny pieces of paper in her hand. She dropped the paper into the garbage, hoping that now she'd be able to forget about the swimsuits and move on.

"I'm sorry, May," Ash said softly.

"Don't blame yourself, Ash, because I'm not," May said, walking toward him, "It was the thought that counts, right?"

"You just seem so sad," Ash said frowning, "I don't like to see you sad."

"C'mon, sis," Max said, grabbing her hand, "Come with me to the arcade, I bet it'll cheer you up. Who knows, you may even start to _like _videogames."

"Eh well…I guess I can give them a try," May said hesitantly.

"Oh, did I neglect to mention that they have games based on Pokemon Contests there?" Max insinuated, pushing his eyeglasses further up on his nose.

"Really? That's awesome! Why didn't you say so, Max?!" May squeaked, "Games based on Pokemon Contests? I am so there!"

"That's the spirit, you coming, Ash?" Brock asked.

"In just a bit!" Ash said quickly, "I…wanna make a phone call first."

"To who?" Brock asked.

"Erm, nobody important, I'll catch up with you guys. The arcade, right?" he asked.

"Right." Brock nodded.

The trio exited the hotel room, leaving only Ash and Pikachu remaining. Ash walked over to the wastepaper basket and peered inside. Tiny bits of torn paper were all that remained of the pamphlet that May held to sleep every night.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu said, feeling his trainers sympathy.

"It'll make her happy, Pikachu, I'm sure it will," Ash said.

He walked over to the green videophone, hesitant a bit about making his phone call.

"Pika pika? Pikachu!" Pikachu encouraged him.

"Yeah, you're right, Pikachu. It doesn't hurt to try, right? At worst nothing can happen anyway," Ash said.

He took a slip of paper out of his pants pocket and read the phone number that Fredrick had written. He exchanged glances with Pikachu for reassurance, and then decided to make the call.

"I hope Fredrick doesn't mind me calling him," Ash said, "I hope what I'm about to ask him isn't too big a favor either."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, watching the video monitor warm up.

"Ah yes, hello?" Fredrick said cheerfully, his face appearing on the video monitor, "Oh it's you! The male counterpart of the "Little rookies!"

"Hi, Fredrick. Um, could I ask a favor?" Ash asked unsurely.

"But of course! I told you that I'm willing to help you out during your stay here, my friend," he replied.

Ash nodded.

"Ok, Fredrick. You see if it's possible…I'd like…."

~*~*~*

Ten minutes later, they were finishing the deal on the phone.

"Wow, that really is expensive," Ash frowned.

"I've tried, but this is as cheap as I can get it for you," Fredrick said, "I'm not even supposed to sell these to people either, but I'm willing to bend the rules for you. It's been custom made too to your specifications, so it should be a good fit. Just remember, you'll have to buy it for that price."

"I understand," Ash said, "I'll hopefully get the money for you later today, is that alright?"

"Sure, sure. Take your time, there is no rush," Fredrick said gleefully.

"Thanks, bye," Ash said, hanging up the phone.

"Pika…pika!" Pikachu shook its head.

"Don't worry, Pikachu, its not THAT much money," Ash said, "Besides, it'll be appreciated."

Ash dialed up another phone number, this one being a more familiar and personal phone call.

The video monitor turned on to reveal his mother, Delia, on screen. No matter how many years went by, she always looked the same. She still wore her brown hair in a ponytail behind her back, along with that pink shirt and blue skirt. She was an upstanding intelligent woman, a bit eccentric at times, but a loving mother nonetheless. Her youthful appearance would drive any other woman to jealousy, she didn't look a day over 25, but in reality she was in fact, much older.

"ASH! You haven't called in ages! I am so happy to see you again, is that Pikachu?" Delia asked excitedly.

"Yep, my buddy Pikachu is always around." Ash smirked.

"Pika pika!"

"Pikachu is looking well, but son, you look a little skinny, are you eating ok?" Delia asked, peering into the monitor.

"Yeah, I just ate a buffet for dinner last night, Mom!" Ash chortled.

"And you're changing your underwear everyday?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom, of course." Ash smiled.

"Wonderful! You've made your mother proud, where are your friends by the way?" she asked.

"They're fine, they're just walking around and going into stores outside," he said, "But I called to ask a favor, Mom."

"A favor?" Delia responded.

"Yeah," Ash scratched his shoulder uncertainly, "You see we entered a surfing competition and we spent most of our remaining money on a special type of surfboard to race on…and I was wondering, can I use my birthday money early this year?"

"Your birthday money? Why would you want it now, your birthday is not for another six months!"

"I know, but I kind of want to buy something…for someone, and as I said, we don't have any money left because we spent it all on a surfboard…"

"Slow down, Ash," Delia said slowly, "Surfing? A competition? Surfboard? Money? There's a lot of stuff you're telling me here, I'm getting a little confused. Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me the whole story?"

"You're right," Ash said, letting out a breath, "Let me tell you what happened from the very beginning. It starts with us meeting this crazy Professor who lives by himself…"

~*~*~*

"Thanks, Mom, I love you," Ash said warmly.

"I love you too, Ash, make sure to pick up the money I sent you at the Pokemon Center," Delia said.

"I will, bye, Mom!" Ash said, hanging up the phone. He turned to Pikachu on his shoulder, "Well, Pikachu, the money was transported through the transfer machine at the Pokemon Center, and thanks to Mom letting me spend my birthday money early this year, I can use it to buy that item from Fredrick."

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm certain she'll like it, Pikachu," Ash said, smiling, "It's a present for her to cheer her up, it's the least I can do."


	31. The gift

**Chapter 31  
****  
****"The gift"  
**  
"Combusken, use Fire spin!" she commanded.

The fowl Pokemon opened its beak as rings of fire emerged from its mouth. Its opponent was dodging in the distance, cleverly digging itself under the sand to avoid the attack. The fire spread across the sand in a blaze and faded shortly thereafter. May and Combusken stood in a battle ready position, knowing that their opponent could jump out of the sand at any moment. Her eyes focused steadily on the battlefield in front of her, she knew even the slightly ripple of the sand would give away the location of their opponent. She slid her bandana further up her head and wiped the sweat off her forehead, it was tough battling in 95 degree weather with a fire Pokemon no less.

"It's so humid out here," May whined, trying to bear the heat as her tight clothes stuck to her body, "I feel like putting on my bikini again, my outfit just isn't made for this kind of weather."

"May, you're supposed to be paying attention to the battle!" Max reminded her.

"My eyes are open, Max, don't worry," she grinned, "I'm not gonna lose this one."

Brock stood on the other end of the battlefield, biding his time until she let her guard down, thus presenting the perfect opportunity to attack. His trusted Pokemon, Marshtompt, was swimming deeply inside the sand, burrowing toward the fiery chicken unbeknownst to both the Pokemon and trainer. The heat was getting to him too, especially with his zippered brown shirt over his green T-shirt. He came from a Rock type Gym however, he wouldn't allow the heat to distract him from the battle, but the discomfort from the weather also gave him the incentive to end this quickly.

Max wasn't the only spectator however, Tana and Jamie were present as well. One thing the girls never had a chance to witness was Brock's battling ability, and having known that he was a former Gym leader, they pressured him into a battle. May, being the only other person with Pokemon on her, was the one the girls wanted to see Brock battle against. More so than Jamie however, Tana was actually interested in May's battle ability as well. Memories of her past life as a coordinator flooded her mind watching May battle so gracefully with her Combusken. Although she wanted Brock to win, she was excited to see May put him on the edge of his seat.

May tugged on the collar of her red shirt uncomfortably, as sweat accumulated in the harsh heat. She closed one eye and squinted, pulling on her collar again, and that's when the match was decided. Brock knew this was the time to strike.

"Marshtompt, come up and fire your Water Gun!" Brock commanded.

In the blink of an eye, Marshtompt emerged from the sand and jumped behind Combusken. Before Combusken could turn around to see its opponent, it was propelled forward, face-first into the sand by the jets of water that shot into its back.

May was too uncomfortable and distracted to focus on the battle, which led to Brock exploiting more of her weak point; letting outside interference hinder her battle ability.

"Combusken, get up!" May shouted, frantically.

"Combus…" Combusken panted, standing on one knee.

"Marshtompt, finish this with Mud shot attack!" Brock called out.

"Marsh!" Marshtompt cried, firing a clot of mud from its mouth, which connected flawlessly with its opponent.

Before May could react, Combusken was on the ground, defeated. Marshtompt stood proudly as the victor, and quickly ran to Brock as he hugged it in its arms.

"Combusken is unable to battle, Marshtompt and Brock win the match!" Max declared.

"YAY! Brock won!" Jamie squeaked.

"Return, Combusken," May said contented, retracting her starter Pokemon into its Pokeball. She lowered her face and talked to the ball in her hand. "Sorry, Combusken, we'll do better next time."

"Marshtompt, tompt!" Marshtompt cheered.

Tana walked up to May and shook her hand, congratulating her for her performance. Brock returned Marshtompt to its Pokeball, happy to have the Pokemon back on his team again, while Jamie clutched his arm and made remarks about how strong he was.

"Heh, being a referee for once is pretty fun," Max snickered.

"You liked doing that, huh?" May said, playfully messing with her brothers' hair.

"So, Brock, that's the Gym leader spark, right?" Tana asked, with sparkling eyes.

"Possibly, although if we weren't battling in such humid weather, I know that May would have put up a much better fight. She'd probably beat me too, May is an excellent battler who can think on her toes quickly," Brock complimented, "But, in battle you always have to keep your mind focused, whether you're battling in the harsh heat or the bitter cold, you can't let that get the best of you."

"That's true, the heat is really bothering me," May said, discontented, "It's really hot as hell out here."

"Why don't you check out the hot springs?" Tana suggested.

"Hot springs? Are you crazy?" May laughed, "I want to cool off, not boil myself to a crisp."

"Well that's where we're going, right, Brock?" Tana asked alluringly, rubbing her palm along his chest.

Brock chuckled nervously, "I have been putting that off for a while now, haven't I?"

"You really have," Jamie added, resting her head against his arm.

May smiled happily while watching the two girls fondle over Brock with both words and physical contact. She could see the excitement in Brock's eyes, yet at the same time there was a lot of awkwardness and anxiety in his behavior toward them. She figured it was because he had never really been in this kind of situation before, with two girls ready to do God knows what with him, but there seemed to be something else that remained a mystery. She decided to shrug it off however, there really was no reason to be suspicious over girls who became not only close to Brock, but became good friends with her and the others as well.

Jamie's hands began to wander on his body, moving toward unnecessary places in public. May lowered her eyes and caught her brother watching curiously, and she quickly put her hands over his eyes and pulled him away.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Max complained, as his sister was pushing him along with her hand in front of his glasses.

"No little brother of mine is going to gawk at stuff like that," May said sternly, leading him away, "It almost looked like you were drooling, Max."

"That's not true!" Max retorted, trying to pull her hand away.

"Uh, girls?" Brock asked, uncomfortable about the situation in front of his friends and in public, "Why don't we hit those hot springs? Yeah, that's what you wanted to do, right?"

"Really? You're finally going to go there with us?" Tana asked, elated.

Brock pulled their hands away and nodded. "At least there it's more private, you girls do know we're on a public beach?"

"That's never stopped us before," Jamie winked.

"Have fun, Brock!" May called out, still pushing her brother along, "You three play nice together!"

"Don't encourage them!" Brock said jokingly.

~*~*~*

"It's been a couple hours now, I wonder why Ash never came looking for us," May said.

"I'm wondering about that too, he must have went somewhere else by now. He knew we hit the arcades, but we didn't see him at all on the boardwalk," Max pondered.

May leaned her back against the concrete wall, she stretched out her legs and had one arm behind her head, supporting herself. In her other hand she was fanning herself with her bandana, trying to relieve herself of the heat. Max stood next to his drenched sister, checking his PokeNav about the surrounding area of the mainland. The two siblings were at a loss of what to do next, with Brock preoccupied and Ash apparently missing, they were by themselves for the meantime.

May looked down at her brother, somewhat jealous that the heat didn't seem to bother him. She stopped fanning herself and tied her red bandana back around her head.

"Aren't you a little hot at all, Max?" she asked.

Max looked up at her absent-mindedly. "A little," he replied, shifting through his Pokenav, "You know, May, if you're hot why don't you just run down to the beach and cool off?"

"Alone?" she responded quickly, "I dunno about that, Max. Swimming in the beach is always more fun when you're with other people. Why don't you come with me?"

Max looked up at her, surprised. "I wouldn't mind taking another dip in the water, but why are you so afraid to go yourself?"

"Afraid? Who's afraid?" May responded angrily, putting her hands on her hips. She hovered over her little brother, awaiting an answer. "Hey, I'll go take a swim whenever I want, Max, it's just that I like the company of friends and family, that's all."

Max raised an eyebrow, "You're full of angst today, more so than usual." He put one finger on his sisters' forehead, and gently raised her face. "Alright, I'll go swimming with you. I just _hate _to see my big sister suffer."

"Heartwarming, Max," May said sarcastically, turning her back to him.

Max put his PokeNav into his pocket and chortled at his sisters' behavior. The siblings headed back to the hotel room in order to change to their swimsuits. Along the way, May decided to apologize for her snooty remark, and rubbed her hand lovingly through her brothers' hair.

"I'm not setting such a good example for an older sister, am I?" May asked, disappointed in herself.

"I…disagree with that. I mean, after all the stuff you've been through the past couple of weeks, I'd probably be just as stressed out and as whacko as you are now," Max said, nodding his head.

"You're lucky I'm looking for support here, Max," she said annoyed.

"I meant what I said though. I'm amazed that you're able to adapt to these new scenarios so quickly," he said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, more concerned about his reply than anything else.

"Well, think about it," Max said astutely, "You've been through a lot these past couple of weeks. When we first met Professor Latrommi, you and Ash were turned into infants! Even as a little baby, you were still carefree and playful. After you were turned back to your normal age, you took care of infant Ash, feeding him, playing with him, sleeping with him, and even changing him!"

"Heh, I remember really enjoying taking care of baby Ash. He was adorable," she said lovingly, clasping her hands.

"You pretty much acted like his mother, and of course when I was turned into an infant afterward by Team Rocket, you basically had two babies to take care of! Come to think of it, that was a handful. Once Ash was changed back to his own age, you decided to trek out to the woods with him to get back the stolen ray gun and Latrommi's Tyranitar."

"I know, and then the bad part happened," May frowned.

"Bad part? Well yeah, that's when the whole forest was scorched in flames thanks to Tyranitar, and you and Ash could have lost your lives. I don't see why you put yourself down for this though, you're a heroine, May!" Max exclaimed.

"Heroine?" May scoffed, "Don't try to glorify me, Max. Ash was unconscious and his Swellow was crushed by a tree, I was too frantic and emotionally confused to react the way I should of. Ash was on the ground, unconscious and bleeding from his head, it was horrifying. I saved his life by the skin of my teeth, mostly thanks to my Pokemon helping me drag him out from the flames. I keep thinking that I could have sized up the situation better, and not cut it so close, heck, if I didn't run into Nurse Joy in the field right beyond the forest...Ash could of…"

"And saving his life doesn't count for anything?" Max retorted, "Nurse Joy just appeared at the right place at the right time, especially rushing Ash and Swellow to the Pokemon Center to heal. One thing I know for sure, Ash will always feel indebted to you, May. If saving someone's life doesn't make you a heroine, I don't know what does.

"Stop kissing up to me, Max," May bantered, "But…yeah…I know that Ash will always remember that I brought him and Swellow to safety. He's my best friend, I'd do it for him or anyone else."

"Staying with him at the Pokemon Center more than anyone else should say that too," Max added, "He'll always have a fond connection to you because of that."

"Max, are you insinuating something?" May asked curiously.

"Huh? No, nothing!" Max shook his head. He continued his summary, although May caught a sly smile on his face. "Heh, and then you told me that you and Ash confronted Team Rocket near the scorched forest, and then the Professor's Tyranitar right after that. It must have been hard to take that Pokemon down."

"It was," May said, "It was mostly thanks to Ash's Sceptile that we were able to beat it, I've never seen a Pokemon so enraged before. We didn't know at the time that it was acting the way it did because its mind was deteriorating from the ray gun, if we had known then we might have gone easier on it."

"Remember that Gardevoir that helped Swellow heal? Kind of reminds me of that Ralts I met back in Hoenn," Max sighed, "Anyway, you were still awfully protective of Ash when he was resting there, always making sure he didn't scratch his head and spending as much time with him as possible. It was really compassionate of you, May."

"You're flattering me, _again._" May smirked.

Max shrugged his shoulders. "And then of course there was the Pokemon surfing competition. In less than seven days, you and Ash had to practice for a competition you never even heard of before, train with Squirtle and Corphish tenaciously, overcome fierce rivals, and after all that, you still managed to come in 2nd place! I'm still amazed at how good you two got while practicing on that obstacle course, you did better than some people who were practicing for a year!"

May sighed, "I guess when you put your heart and mind into something, the outcome shows. If it weren't for those four... _losers _I met here on the beach, I think this would have been one of the happiest weeks I've ever spent with my friends. I had a great time surfing with Ash, he's…just so fun to be around. Something about him just makes you feel all warm and positive inside, it's like no matter how bad things get, if you know Ash is there, you know that everything will turn out fine in the end," she smiled fondly, holding her hands in front of her skirt, "He's the best friend anyone could ever ask for, I really can't imagine myself ever traveling on my journey without him."

"Aha! And you said you don't want to be glorified?" Max mocked.

"Huh?"

"I've just summarized everything you've been through during the past two weeks, don't you think it's about time to be proud of your accomplishments? You're not setting a bad example at being a big sister you know, you're setting a _great _one," Max said proudly, "I really don't want to admit this, but you're as much a role model for me as you are my sister. When I'm old enough to be a trainer, I hope I can be as compassionate and energetic as you are. I'm proud to be the brother of an aspiring Top coordinator."

"You really mean that?" she asked.

Max nodded.

May wiped a tear of happiness out of her eye and sniffed emotionally. She stopped walking and hugged her brother tightly, wrapping her arms around his back and leaning her face against his head.

"Max…you don't know how much I love you for that," she sniffed, holding him tightly, "I'm sorry for being so mean to you all the time. You're the greatest little brother, ever."

"Aw c'mon, May. It's just the truth," he smiled.

May pulled back from her hug and looked at him fondly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime," Max laughed.

~*~*~*

"This hot spring is so relaxing," Jamie said, "Are you kicking yourself for not coming here with us sooner, Brock?"

Brock slid himself lower in the warm water, the bubbles were up to his neck, with the rest of his body relaxed and at ease. Sitting in the water next to him were his women, with not a sole around otherwise. They were in their swimming attire, with their clothes placed neatly on the side.

"Heh, Brock seems to be enjoying himself," Tana mentioned, flicking her wet red hair to the side.

_It's just me and them. This is something I had always fantasized about, I never thought it would actually happen, _Brock thought, _This is crazy, but these two girls just won't let up. If only Misty could see me now, I bet she'd be speechless if she saw me succeed with girls for once. The pain from my right ear still throbs after all those times she pulled it, yeeouch! _

Jamie rose from the water and sat herself on the edge of the tub, her legs still dangling in the water. She turned to Tana and gave her a wink, a signal that the other girl knew quite well. Tana took a deep breath and decided that now was as good a time as any. She stepped out of the hot tub as well, looking back at a motionless Brock. The two girls whispered quickly to each other, with a few giggles attached.

Brock looked up at them strangely, why did they get out of the hot springs when they were begging him to come here all week? His mind didn't dwell on that too long however, because his eyes started to wander toward the skin that their skimpy swimsuits were covering up.

_Wow, they have some fine bodies, _Brock thought, an ounce of drool dripping from his mouth, _They're really beautiful women, and they have brains as well. It's very rare to get a girl with the perfect combination of beauty and brains, Brock I think you've hit the jackpot! I think I'm taking a liking toward Tana more than Jamie, she just seems more down to earth. May got along with Tana real well too, she seems to be a very friendly and easy going person. I don't know if I should say anything though, I don't think they were really serious when they said, "We come in a set." _

Tana whispered again to her friend, an embarrassed blush appearing on her face. Jamie reassured her that everything would be ok, and put her hands on her shoulders to calm her down. Brock got out of the tub and approached them, to which the girls reacted strongly. Tana's blush continued to grow, it was almost as red as her hair, but there was a certain sense of insecurity and bashfulness to it. Jamie on the other hand remained calm, trying to ease her friend into the situation they had planned.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Brock asked, desperately trying to keep his eyes on their faces.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that my friend Tana is a little nervous about the whole thing," Jamie said.

"JAMIE!" Tana scolded, "Are we really going to…?"

"Yes," Jamie said, "Don't worry, I'll walk you through it."

Brock sat down on the lounge chair and put his hands behind his head. He lowered the chair so that it was flat in order to rest his legs upon it, and stared at the two beauties hovering over him.

"So...you guys going to let me in on this little "plan" of yours?" Brock asked.

"You mean you know?" Jamie asked, startled.

"I can tell that something is going on, that's for sure," Brock said knowingly, "The two of you drag me to the hot springs to spend time relaxing together, but instead we barely talk to one another and the two of you get out after just 10 minutes. And since Tana appears to be a little uneasy about something, it's not hard to assume something."

"Wow, he IS good," Jamie said, "I'm impressed, Brock. See, Tana? He's the perfect guy, you shouldn't be worried."

"I'm…not," Tana said softly, "But, you've done this before, Jamie. It's going to be a new experience for me, and probably for him as well."

_Ok, now something is definitely odd here, _he thought.

"Brock?" Tana asked, "You really like me, don't you?"

"Well...of course!" Brock said quickly, almost on impulse, "Is this going to be some kind of questionnaire or something?"

Tana and Jamie exchanged glances.

"Alright, Brock, if you want to know what we're up to…close your eyes." Jamie instructed, "When you open them…you may be pleasantly surprised."

"Uh…ok?" Brock said. He shut his eyes, Jamie and Tana walked closer toward his lounge chair.

"Are his eyes shut? I can't tell," Tana said.

"They're closed!" Brock exclaimed, "I know it's hard to tell with the type of eyes I have, but believe me they're shut!"

"No kidding? How do we know if you're not peeking or not? Those slits are hard to judge," Tana chortled.

"Trust me, my eyes are closed!" Brock said, "Sheesh. Maybe next time you'll wonder how I can roll my eyes, huh?"

"Heh, you're funny, Brock," Tana said, smiling. She took another deep breath, and looked upon her friend for reassurance.

Brock could hear some movement, but he kept his eyes closed. He pondered for a moment what the heck they could be up to. He knew one thing for sure, when he opened them he'd either be pleasantly surprised or horrified.

"Alright…you can open them now," Tana said.

Brock opened his eyes slowly, he could already feel the breath from the two girls very close to him. When his eyes focused on the visual, his heart nearly skipped a beat. Not because the two girls were standing right over him, and not because they were gazing at him seductively either. It was because of _those. _

"What the hell?" Brock said, shocked.

"We're all alone, why not take this opportunity?" Jamie asked, "I need to show Tana the ropes though, it's her first time."

After that remark, Tana leaned forward and gave him a small peck on the chest. Brock didn't know whether he should feel elated or terrified. He lie there motionless, almost scared stiff to even move. His mind had trouble registering what was going on, if this was a dream, he knew that some cruel act of fate would wake him up and he would forget the whole thing. This however, was very real.

A few moments later, the topless girls were upon him.

~*~*~*

"That about does it!" Ash said happily, tying the final bow on the wrapping paper.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu said, complimenting its trainer for the surprise.

Ash jumped in delight holding the small box in his hand. The box was wrapped in red and orange wrapping paper, with a cute pink ribbon tied around the front. Ash made sure to pick the right kind of wrapping paper, they were May's favorite colors. Having spent a good portion of his birthday money on the item Fredrick agreed to sell him behind the scenes, Ash was very nervous about how she would react to the gift. He had rarely bought gifts for anyone in the past out of the blue, let alone cover the box in wrapping paper with a ribbon on top. Ash let himself fall down backward on the bed, completely exhausted.

"It took me over an hour to figure out how to put wrapping paper around that box, this must be a thing only girls are good at or something," Ash said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Pika pika, chu," it encouraged him, playfully jumping on his stomach.

Ash sat up and hugged Pikachu in his arms, it was almost as excited as the trainer to see how May would react. Ash thanked Pikachu for his help with the wrapping paper, as he made quite a number of mistakes on his own, having to throw away the paper several times because it got ripped and having to start all over again with a clean sheet. Pikachu had to instruct him on where to fold the paper and where to cut it, a somewhat embarrassing scene for a teenager not knowing how to do this himself. Ash placed his hand on Pikachu's head, it was a team effort indeed.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked, hopping back on the bed sheets.

"Huh? Fredrick had it made specifically for her, it has to be the right size. I'm just worried that May will yell at me for spending half of my birthday money on her, but I really don't mind, it's about time I bought her a present anyway," Ash said, walking around the hotel room with the present in hand.

"Chuuuu, pika," Pikachu said, folding its arms.

"Max?" Ash said, startled, "Oh great, I didn't think about that."

Ash slapped his face for forgetting about her brother, how would Max react if his sister got a present but not him?

He paced the floors nervously again, with hands folded behind his back, wondering how Max would feel if he were left out.

"Pikachu, what should I do?" Ash asked, "I bought May that gift as a way of cheering her up for the loss at the race, but I really didn't think about Max at the time."

"Pika pika?"

Ash smiled, his anxiety faded. It may take a hit on his own luxuries, but at least he could make both siblings happy this way. His altruistic nature always got the better of him.

Ash chuckled, "Heh, why not? Max deserves to get something too."

Pikachu and Ash agreed with one another, but they were snapped out of their conversation when they heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Ash, are you in there?" Max called out from behind the door.

The windows were covered completely by the curtains, May tried peering in the window but the view was blocked.

Ash looked at Pikachu, "They're here! Do you think now's a good time to surprise her? Max is with her too, what are we going to do?"

"Pikachu pika!?" Pikachu yelled.

Ash and Pikachu quickly decided to formulate a plan together before the siblings entered the room.

"If I know Ash, he's doing one of two things," May said to her younger brother.

"What's that?" Max asked.

"Either eating, or sleeping," May grinned.

Max rolled his eyes.

"You do the same exact things you know, I wouldn't talk if I were you," Max bantered.

"Hey, I didn't say those were bad things," May giggled, "Everybody knows that a nice, peaceful beauty sleep and a good meal is the way to get through life. You can't go through life looking like a toothpick, Max. You gotta have some meat on your bones!"

"Are you saying I'm scrawny?" Max asked.

"No, you're just so meek and docile," May said playfully, she was in an awfully good mood, "But now that I'm looking at you, you are kind of scrawny too. Next time we eat dinner with Ash and Brock, I'm making sure you lick your plate clean!"

"Now you sound like Mom again! Stop doing that!" Max yelled.

"Max, you gotta eat. How do you think I maintain this fabulous figure?" May asked, arching her hand behind her neck and posing for her little brother.

Max sweat dropped, and spouted in an irritated manner, "When I said you were setting a great example of an older sister, I really meant it. Don't push your luck though, quit while you're ahead."

May gushed bashfully and held her hands in front of her naively as small pockets of red tints appeared on her cheeks. Even though he was a few years younger than her, her little brother always managed to make a good comeback in their squabbles. She envied him for that, he was always so smart and mature for his age.

Max knocked on the door again, much harder this time.

"Ash, Pikachu! We don't have the keys for the room, are you in there?" Max called out.

"Maybe they're out on the boardwalk looking for us," May said.

The handle began to turn from the inside which caught the siblings' attention. Ash opened the door with a nervous smile, Pikachu was hanging on his shoulder. May and Max greeted their friend while entering the room, but Ash left the door open instead of shutting it.

"So…did you like the arcades, May?" Ash asked, hoping to start with an easy conversation.

"I really did. I've never been much of a fan of videogames myself, but I thought some of those games were pretty cool!" May said.

"She stuck to all the coordinator simulators, it was pretty funny because one game managed to annoy her," Max said.

"Which one was that?" Ash asked.

May put her hands on her hips and pouted. "You wouldn't believe it, Ash. One of those games based on Pokemon Contests actually used real life people! You know who's likeness they used in the game?"

"They used Harley," Max laughed.

"Harley?" Ash said, taken back.

"Could you believe it?" May gasped, "All of a sudden I'm playing this game and I see this skinny guy shaking his butt at the camera. At first I thought it was a girl with long purple hair, I mean NO guy walks down a stage like _that. _Then I started to recognize the clothing, and when he turned around…it was _him. _The computer graphics messed up his face a bit, but then again he's not exactly picture perfect to begin with."

"Crazy, huh? I guess some popular coordinators get the honor of being put into videogames. I bet he gets royalties for that too now that I think about it. Too bad you weren't in the game, May," Max said.

"Ptttf, I couldn't care less. I'll take real life fame over virtual reality stuff anyday. Besides, I'd rather _not _be well known if my fans treat me like they did back in North Petalburg City. Remember that, Max?" May asked, turning in circles.

"Those people were insane," Max grunted.

Ash and Pikachu looked upon each other, it was about time to make their announcement.

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and came to the floor next to Max.

The electric type than sprung itself into the air thanks to its tail, and snatched Max's glasses off his face. The rodent held the frame of the glasses with its mouth, and then began to dart out the hotel room door.

"Pikachu! What do you think you're doing?! Those are my glasses!" Max yelled.

"Pikachuuuuuuuuuuu," Pikachu mocked the boy, sticking his tongue out toward him near the door frame.

"Wow, what's gotten into Pikachu?" a bewildered May asked.

_Alright, Pikachu, you know the drill. It's better to let May take care of his gift, _Ash said to himself.

Ash nodded at the Pokemon and it knew just what to do. Pikachu darted out of the room and ran down the catwalk carrying Max's glasses in its mouth. Max slid himself outside the door, and yelled angrily at the Pokemon.

"Pikachu, come back here!" Max yelled, stomping the floor.

Pikachu darted through the lobby, fast enough that the boy couldn't catch up to him, but slow enough so Max would see where he was. Max chased after the Pokemon in a tantrum, wondering why it would do such a thing in the first place.

May peered down the catwalk slightly agitated. She walked back into the room and demanded an explanation from Ash.

"Mind explaining to me what Pikachu was doing pulling a stunt like that?" May asked.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, playing dumb and walking toward his drawer.

"Oh c'mon, Ash. Pikachu loves to play around, but I've never seen him do something like that before. Either Pikachu has some discipline problems or something fishy is going on here," May said, tapping her left cheek.

Ash's back was turned to her, he rummaged through his drawer and pushed some clothes aside until the sparkle from the wrapping paper caught his eye. He picked up the present slowly, and naively hid it behind his back.

"Not to mention the fact that you're standing here and not caring about what Pikachu did," May said, "So, Ash…what's up?"

She approached him while suspecting something, his face filled with childlike innocence, almost acting like she was a stranger rather than a good friend. She glanced downward and spotted him holding something behind his leg.

Ash pulled on the brim of his hat nervously, he knew she wouldn't be fooled by this much longer. She probably figured by now that what Pikachu was doing was just a diversion to keep Max busy for awhile, and that he had something to tell her alone.

"Oh well, I was never good at keeping secrets," Ash said softly, he looked up at her and caught her curious expression, "I…have something for you and your brother, but since you're the big sister and all, I figured that you better take care of his…gift as well, since he's a little young to carry all this around by himself. I just want you to know what his gift is before he finds out, just so you can take care of it for him."

"Whoa wait, slow down, Ash!" May said flabbergasted, "Did you just say you bought me and my brother a gift?"

"Well…yeah," Ash said, pulling the wrapped box out from behind his back. He caught the sparkle of excitement in her eyes once she saw the wrapping paper, and held it in front of his chest. "I'll show you Max's gift later, this is yours."

"I…I…wha…what's the occasion?" May asked, completely shocked.

Ash handed her the box, and she looked down at the wrapping paper with a mix of excitement and curiosity. She held the box in front of her body with both hands, still uncertain whether this was truly happening.

"No occasion. It's a present for my friends, isn't that acceptable enough?" Ash asked, smiling.

May returned his affection with a playful smile of her own. She sat down on the edge of her bed and rested the box on her lap. Ash stood next to her, waiting for her to open it.

"These are pretty colors," May said sincerely, stroking the wrapping paper with her fingers.

"Yep, I made sure to wrap it in your favorite colors. Red, orange and pink…I got them all right, didn't I?" Ash said proudly.

May giggled, "You sure did!" She began opening it slowly, untying the pretty pink ribbon first and then tearing through the paper second. "You wrapped this all by yourself?"

"Pikachu helped me, I found out the hard way that wrapping paper over a plastic box isn't so easy," Ash sulked.

"Heh, you're silly, it's not that hard to wrap something," May chortled.

"Go on, open it," Ash suggested, getting slightly impatient.

She tore off the last remaining piece of paper, and placed the white plastic box on the bed. She placed her hands on the sides of the box, and looked up at Ash one more time before she opened it.

"The way this box is shaped, I'm guessing there's….clothing inside?" May asked, pushing her brown hair out of her eyes.

"Um…something like that," Ash whistled, "You'll like it though, I'm sure of that."

May took a deep breath and smiled coyly.

"Pretty confident aren't you, Ash?" May teased, "Let's take a look…"

She lifted up the cover of the box and saw the usual white plastic paper on top of her present. She calmly removed the piece of paper and was completely astonished of what she saw.

"ASH!" May said flabbergasted, "How…how did you…get this?"

"Remember Fredrick's phone number? Well I called him, and he said since we put up such a good fight in the race, he agreed to sell me it as a favor," Ash said.

May was speechless as she picked up something she thought she had lost forever. It was something she had treasured and hoped to get for a long time…and now…it was hers! In the box lie a two-piece bikini, made specifically for May's body size. It wasn't just any bikini though, it was the one she longed for. It was bright pink in color, with a chibi Skitty face imprinted on the right breast of the top, and a chibi Torchic face imprinted on the back of the bottom piece.

She held the top in her hands, staring at it completely dumbstruck. Her heart almost felt like it was tearing through her chest, it was pumping hard in excitement. Small tears appeared in the back of her eyes, she was astounded that Ash was able to get this for her.

Ash approached her and placed one hand on her shoulder. "I…hope you like it," he said, slightly uncertain.

May's exhilaration got the best of her as she jumped up from her bed and flung her arms around him. Still holding the top of the bikini in her left hand, she hugged him excitedly and jumped up and down while doing so. Ash staggered backward, completely taken back by her jubilation.

"ASH! You're such a sweetheart!" May said joyously, "You're…amazing!"

She held his hands and continued jumping up and down, giggling and squealing a tad as well. It was now Ash's turn to feel dumbstruck, he knew May might have an excited reaction, but he didn't expect _this _much of a reaction. He stood there smiling as May jumped girlishly while holding his hands.

"Tee hee!" May giggled, running back toward the box and picking up the bottom piece in her other hand. She hugged both pieces of the swimsuit against her chest and jumped toward him with a lot of enthusiasm.

"I take it you like the swimsuit," Ash chuckled, putting his hand behind his head.

"Like it? I LOVE it," May squealed, "How…how did you…tell me the whole story, Ash!"

"Whole story?"

"Yeah…like how you got it, and how you thought of it, and how you bought it and how you, and…and then…and…wheee!" May squealed, losing control of her sentence, jumping up and down with childlike laughter.

"You're talking so fast it's hard to understand you! Calm down, May!" Ash said happily.

"I just can't believe it…I never thought I'd actually be holding this!" May shouted happily, "Tell me, Ash…why did you…?"

"It's because I didn't want to see you disappointed anymore," Ash said, "I know you tried to hide it, but you were crushed when we didn't win that race. All those swimsuits you practiced so hard to win, were now lost forever. I…didn't want to see you depressed anymore."

"Depressed…but…?"

"I called Fredrick on that phone number he gave us, and he agreed to sell me one of the bikinis from the prize list because we impressed him so much. Since it's a rare swimsuit that's not meant to be sold, it cost a lot of money to buy it, more than any sane person would spend on a swimsuit."

"Really? You spent a lot of money just so I could have a bikini?" May gasped, sitting on the side of the bed.

"I spent more than half of my birthday money on that bikini, May," he exclaimed, scratching his shoulder nervously.

May was taken back, she looked down at the bikini in her hands and then back up at Ash. She was floored once more, completely speechless at the gesture he made.

"I bought it for you though, because I know how much you wanted it. I guess I just don't want to see you sad or something. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you by doing this," Ash said.

"You're crazy, you…I mean, I shouldn't be embarrassed!" May gasped, standing up from the bed, "This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me...I just can't believe it."

May walked next to Ash, holding the bikini in her hand. She looked down at the cup of the top, and read the tag on the bikini.

"This…this is the right size too," May stuttered, "How did you know what size I needed?"

Ash blushed heavily, and walked toward her middle dresser. He opened it carefully and picked up May's dark red bikini that she was wearing on the beach.

"I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I had to look at your red bikini for reference, just to make sure I got you a size that fit," Ash said, his face filled with embarrassment.

May found herself blushing as well, her face was turning deep red.

"…and the size of the top?" she stuttered.

Ash quickly blurted the next line out, even more embarrassed than before, "Yeah…I spotted one of your bras in the cabinet and I checked the size of that too! Don't think of me as a weirdo or anything, I just wanted to make sure I detailed the right size to Fredrick!"

"Ash…" May blushed, she smiled and looked toward the floor.

"They…custom make these special bikinis, as you know from the pamphlet. I was only allowed to buy one of them from Fredrick, he was doing me a big favor in the first place by selling them. I…knew you wanted the Skitty and Torchic bikini the most of all of them, which is why I chose that one. When he asked for the size of the bikini…I had to double check your…stuff…just to make sure. If I messed up and gave him the wrong size, you'd either have a bikini that was too big or too tight..." Ash said quickly.

May felt herself breathing heavily, she placed the bikini gently down on the side of the bed. She stared at her friend, whose face was so red it was the same color as her bandana. Her eyes twinkled as her chest continued to pound, she struggled to get a grip on herself. She looked upon the boy again, and when she saw that special twinkle in his eye as well, she knew she had confirmation.

Ash continued to ramble, "I'm sorry, May, but it was the only way to make sure. And the bikini is also…"

"It's ok," May said.

She silenced him by placing one finger against his lips. Ash was confused, she had a look in her eye that was very endearing, or perhaps enamored. Their heartbeats were in unison, making the same thumping sound from one chest to another. She softly slipped her finger away from his lips, as her face drew closer. They were standing face to face, May lovingly looking at Ash in the eyes.

Her face was so close that he could feel her breath coming from her mouth, which was nearly hovering over his own. A few mixed emotions and last minute decisions went through her mind, the warmth of his face almost begged for her to move in closer.

"Thank you," she said softly.

The words were replaced with contact, as her moist lips pressed gently against his. The warmth of their bodies exchanged with one another, the heat of the kiss radiated from one being to the next. He didn't pull away, stagger, or even budge. She moved in closer, tilting her face, her mouth opening only slightly, she was still getting the feeling of having her lips pressed against a boy, Ash. She muttered something under her breath, which was barely noticeable, as it went through the lips of one person and into the next. The slight scent and taste of each others lips were registered in each others minds for the first time, but neither dared to open their mouth. It was a sweet, gentle puppy love kiss, with the two naively pressing lips against one another with their mouths cracking open only to get in a breath of fresh air. She held onto his arms tightly, making sure that this was real and not a fantasy conjured up by her imagination.

All too quickly, it was over. May broke her contact with the boy, and slowly stepped away. She turned around and pressed two fingertips against her lips, thoughts filling her mind. Ash stared naively, licking his own lips where she had kissed him. He had never imagined what a kiss would feel like, but he was pleasantly surprised. It was a different experience for sure, but a pleasant experience nonetheless.

She turned around and looked at him, sharing the same exact expressions. Both were too scared to talk, even uttering a meaningless sound was hard.

She smiled naively, turning toward her bikini on the bed. Her fingers stroke the cloth of the top, thinking about what she had just done. It was her first kiss, that very special time that she had thought about for a long while. She didn't think about what compelled her to move in for a kiss, but there was something that brought her to him, like two magnets attracting one another. She kissed him as best she could, having only TV shows and movies with characters kissing as a reference. She had seen her parents smooching a few times around the house as well, but she was so young that she could barely remember what it looked like.

She picked up the bikini in her hands, and turned around toward Ash, who was still standing there. She looked upon him lovingly, and figured by his positive demeanor, that he liked the kiss too.

She spoke, "Th-ank…you for the present. I'm go-ing to change into it to see how it looks on me, do you mind waiting?"

Ash uttered something but it was a mixture of sounds that consisted of nothing more than gibberish.

"I'll change – in there," she said, smiling, pointing toward the bathroom door in the corner.

Ash nodded, it was the only sign of communication that he _could _do.

"Ok," she said softly.

She walked toward the bathroom and opened the door, turning toward Ash one last time before she entered. Although he still couldn't formulate any words, he formed a convincing smile on his face. May grinned, that was satisfactory enough. She entered the bathroom with bikini in hand, and shut the door behind her.

Ash stood there in the empty room, absorbing the entire situation and playing it back in his mind. He stumbled a bit on his way to the side of his bed, sitting down awkwardly and pulling his hat off his head. He looked upon the torn wrapping paper on the side of the bed, and picked up the pink ribbon which was once tied around the present. He held the bow in his hands, and stared at it curiously. He glanced up at the bathroom door, and then back at the ribbon.

It was his first kiss too, one that would be remembered for a lifetime.


	32. A step in the right direction

**Chapter 32  
**

**"A step in the right direction."  
**  
The running footsteps echoed through the hall as a young boy desperately tried to catch up with the Pokemon ahead of him. He scampered between people and furniture, hoping not to bump into anything along the way because of his blurred vision.

"PIKACHU!" Max bellowed, "Give me back my glasses!"

Pikachu, who was running on all fours, stopped in its tracks, and looked back at the boy with a mocking grin. It held the frame of the glasses between its teeth, and while it made sure to hang on tight so it wouldn't drop it, it had to be careful that its teeth didn't accidentally break the frame in two.

"PI-ka," Pikachu grunted, smiling devilishly at the boy.

Max was agitated, no matter how fast he ran the Pokemon would always outrun him. He knew this himself because of his studies and interest of Pokemon in general, that certain Pokemon could generally run much faster than humans. He was also perplexed, why did Pikachu suddenly snatch his glasses off his face and run away to begin with? Not only did neither Ash nor May follow Pikachu as it ran out of the suite, but he also noticed that Pikachu seemed to be stalling for something. Pikachu wasn't running around aimlessly, it was running in a distinct pattern around the hotel lobby in a way that Max would never catch up to him, yet he could always keep sight of him. Max was a bright boy, and he quickly deduced that there was a reason Pikachu was doing this, and it probably had to do with Ash.

Max took one small step toward Pikachu to confirm his suspicion, and Pikachu slowly took two steps away. Max took two steps himself, Pikachu took four. Max stepped three more times, Pikachu edged away six more times. All the while, Pikachu and Max stared each other down, grinning with their shining white teeth in a humorous manner.

The boy put his hands on his hips. He decided to announce his theory. "Alright, Pikachu, I can tell what you're doing," Max said proudly.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, turning its head while the glasses dangled from its mouth.

"You're running with my glasses around the hotel because you have to keep me busy, _right?" _Max emphasized, waving his pointer finger. "I don't know what Ash has planned, but now that I know your little scheme, uh…."

"Chu, pika?"

Max's voice trembled as he began to pout. "Can I have my glasses back now, pretty please? It's sometimes hard to see where I'm going, and I almost bumped into an overweight woman on the way here. I really need them, Pikachu, if you give them back I promise to stay here in the lobby instead of going back to the room, ok?"

"Pikachu pika?"

"That's right, I'm getting kind of tired of running. I'll…just wait here in the lobby until whatever it is Ash has planned is over, and then we can go back into the room. It beats running, right?" Max asked, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

Pikachu rationalized that since Max already figured it out, there was no point in running with his glasses anymore. After all, he just had to keep Max busy for a while, but if Max himself was willing to wait in the lobby, it would be the same difference. Pikachu nodded, taking the glasses out of its mouth and held it with its front paws.

_Heheh, Pikachu is falling for it, _Max thought devilishly, _He really thinks I'm going to wait here in the lobby, but no way am I doing that! There has to be something Ash is doing with my sister to want me out of the room for a while, and I'm going to find out what it is. The second Pikachu gives me back my glasses, I'm going to make a break for it back to the room. _

Max and Pikachu walked toward each other with beaming faces, with Pikachu not suspecting a thing as it held out the glasses to the boy. Max smiled naively and took the glasses out of Pikachu's hands and put it back on his face. With the exchange completed, it was time for Max to get a head start.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Max said falsely, "Huh?"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, looking at Max's surprised expression.

"LOOK OVER THERE, BEHIND YOU!" Max blurted out, pointing behind Pikachu's head, "Oh my gosh, it's Team Rocket and they're stealing Pokemon!"

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu turned around quickly, getting it a battle ready position with sparks flying out of its red cheeks.

Pikachu then looked around in confusion as it didn't spot the controlling red-head, the flamboyant blue-haired male, or the talking Meowth anywhere.

"HAHA!" Max chortled, "FOOLED YA!"

The boy then quickly turned around and scampered out of the lobby in a hurry. Pikachu turned around angrily, it had been deceived!

"PIAKCHU PIKA!" Pikachu yelled, chasing after the boy.

"Hahaa!" Max giggled, running around corners as fast as he could, "I can't believe Pikachu fell for the "look out behind you!" gag, that was just too easy!"

Max darted between two overweight people and headed back for the catwalk where their room was.

"Now to find up what Ash and May are up to," Max said to himself.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu yelled.

Max turned around in shock to see that Pikachu was right behind him! He smacked his forehead for not factoring in how fast Pikachu could run, and nearly toppled over a coffee table when he looked forward again. Pikachu decided that a little "payback" wouldn't do _too _much harm, as it unleashed a powered down version of its Thundershock attack at the boy. The attack was meant to shock Max slightly to stop him in his tracks, and not to harm him, so the electric type controlled it's electric release in an easy going manner.

"GAH!" Max screamed as the electric sensation when through his body. He stood still in shock as Pikachu jumped up and snatched his glasses off his face once again. When the electric attack ceased, he saw Pikachu on all fours again with his glasses back in its mouth.

"Oh c'mon, Pikachu! Don't tell me you're going to run away with my glasses again!" Max whined.

"PIKAPIKAPIKA!" Pikachu laughed, almost as if it was enjoying the satisfaction.

"It was just a joke!" Max pleaded.

Pikachu stuck out his tongue and then darted away on all fours again with Max's glasses. Max was willing to bang his head against the wall for having to chase Pikachu around the hotel all over again, as well as knowing that it wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

"Oh brother," Max sighed, "Whatever Ash and May are doing together better be worth all this running around, that's for sure. Although knowing them, they're probably fighting over which restaurant to eat at for lunch."

Max sighed again and continued his chase after Pikachu.

~*~*~*~*~*

"This'll do."

She tied the strings around her neck and adjusted the bikini in the mirror. She was impressed with how comfortable it felt, but with it being a prized bikini for a competition, it was no surprise that it was made so well. It was the perfect size for her figure, the cups covered as much as she wanted them to and it felt tight and secure on her body.

She ran her hands through her hair, pushing her locks of brown hair downward instead of sticking out to the sides. She took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror, wearing the prized bikini that Ash had spent so much money on. She knew that her mother would think it was insane for someone to spend so much money on something as trivial as a bikini, but to her, it was the perfect gift. It wasn't so much that she got what she wanted, but it was the fact that he cared enough to go out of his way to buy it for her.

"It really looks good on me," May said to herself.

She was a bit hesitant to open the bathroom door and talk to Ash with the bikini on. Her eyes fluttered as she felt those butterflies in her stomach again. Having spent a few minutes trying on the bikini in the bathroom, she was nervous about what Ash was thinking outside the bathroom door. She placed her fingers over her mouth, thinking about the soft, tender kiss she had given him just a few minutes ago. She was still getting a grip on the kiss herself, let alone wondering how Ash would think of her now.

She placed both hands down on the sink in front of the mirror, and leaned her face toward her reflection. Her pretty sapphire eyes revealed the insecurity in her character, she knew that kiss would change the way she and Ash interacted forever. One thing bothered her, would it be for the better, or the worse? What if he wasn't ready for anything like love or a relationship, and was content with being her close friend instead? Was Ash even aware of what the kiss meant? Did he even enjoy the kiss?

May shook her head while staring at herself in the mirror. "Don't be silly, May," she thought, "If Ash didn't like the kiss he would have freaked out. He…seemed like he was enjoying it, almost as if he was trying to kiss back but wasn't sure how."

She remembered his fond smile just before she entered the bathroom, that should have relieved her of her worries, but she was still nervous about talking to him face to face again. The moment she stepped in for the kiss, she knew that things would be different now.

"Ok, May, time to go out there and see what he thinks," she said, placing her hand on the doorknob, "I…hope he likes me too."

She slowly turned the doorknob, and walked out of the bathroom almost fearing the result.

"Ash?" she called out weakly.

He was still sitting on the side of her bed, with the little ribbon in his hand. His eyes were hidden under the brim of his hat, as if he had the same anxiety about facing her as well. She walked closer toward him, noticing he was running his fingers through the curls of the ribbon.

"You ok?" she asked.

He slowly lifted his hat up and looked at her, but much to her relief he had a positive expression on his face. His eyes wavered as it looked like he was still adjusting to the situation, while she stood next to him in the swimsuit that he had bought her. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, with both hesitant to say a word. He took a deep breath, getting up from the bed and eyeing her as if he was looking at her for the very first time.

May's voice squeaked, "Do…you like it on me?"

She put her hands to the side as she twirled around slowly presenting her swimsuit to him. The attractive swimsuit glimmered in the dimly lit room, there was no doubt that it was the center of attention. Even though he couldn't quite understand it, he was trying to grasp how beautiful she looked. Her long locks of brunette hair were cascading down the sides of her face, her swimsuit showcased her magnificent hourglass shape, and her bashful but hopeful expression gave away the fact that she was captivating in every sense of the word. Girls were always the last thing on Ash Ketchum's mind, but May was managing to climb quickly on his list of priorities.

"It…" he uttered, slightly trailing off.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"It looks really great on you…just like I knew it would," Ash said, smiling.

May cheered silently in delight. She smiled fondly and held both her hands against her chest. She walked toward her dresser and browsed through her fanny pack, turning her head slightly toward Ash during her conversation.

"Um…Ash?" she asked, looking through her bag, "Didn't you say you had something for my brother too?"

Ash's mind clicked as he remembered that he saved something for Max as well.

"That's right, thanks for reminding me," Ash said warmly. He picked up his bag from the floor and started to search through it.

"After…what just happened, I thought you might get a bit forgetful about other stuff," May teased.

"I…remembered," Ash reassured her, picking up what he wanted from the bag, "I can't forget about your little brother now, can I?"

May turned around from fanny pack, anxiously awaiting to see what Ash had bought for him.

"Did you spend more of your birthday money on Max's gift?" she asked.

"I spent all of the rest," Ash said.

May was taken back, once again he had managed to surprise her. It warmed her heart to know that Ash spent his entire funds on getting her and her brother a present. She ended up feeling a tad guilty about not having any gift to give him in return, but she promised herself once she saved up some money in the future, she would surely pay him back for this gesture.

Ash slid the item into his pants pocket and looked at May for approval. He mentioned how Max's gift wasn't wrapped like hers was, but it was something special that Max had wanted for a long, long time.

"You're his older sister, May, so you're the authority. I think I should ask you if it's ok if I should give this to Max before he sees it," Ash said.

"Wow, what is it? Is it something really important?" she asked.

Ash was about to begin his next line but found himself lost in eye contact with her. They awkwardly found themselves unable to look away, almost as if the intensity of the kiss was refreshed back into their minds. They stared for a few more seconds, until a certain boy and a Pikachu ran into the doorway.

"AHA!" Max bellowed.

Ash and May jumped in unison, the shock nearly scared them out of their skin. Ash grabbed his heart and tried gasping for air as May shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Wow, what's with them?" Max shrugged, raising his glasses on his forehead, looking at Pikachu for an answer.

"Pi-kachu," Pikachu sighed.

"MAX, DON'T SNEAK UP ON US LIKE THAT!" May yelled, trying to catch her breath.

"Sneak up on you, what the heck were you two doing?" Max questioned.

"NOTHING!" Ash and May shouted in unison, almost defensively.

Ash and May awkwardly glanced at once another, trying to hide the small tints of red that were breaking out on their faces. It didn't take Max long to realize that not only was something up, but he noticed that his sister was wearing a new swimsuit as well.

"Hey, isn't that the swimsuit you wanted from the competition, May?" Max asked. He walked over to his sister and eyed the Torchic pattern on the right cup of the top.

"Ye-s, yeah it is, Max," May said, "I'm so happy that I was able to get it after all, tee hee!"

Max walked around his sister and looked at the Skitty face that was imprinted on the bottom piece over her backside. He snorted childishly, somewhat amused by the cutesy Skitty pattern.

"I guess he likes the Skitty/Torchic bikini too, Ash," May grinned.

"I wonder if the faces are made of bumpy fabric or something," Max pondered, pressing his hand against her backside.

May jumped and turned around quickly as she felt her brother place his hand against her butt.

"Max! That was gross, you just touched my butt!" May gasped.

"What?!" Max reacted in surprise, "Whoa…I didn't mean to…I…just wanted to see how the faces were imprinted on the bathing suit!"

Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder as the two shared a laugh together.

"Well…as long as you're telling the truth, Max," May said knowingly.

"Of course, do you think I actually _want _to touch your butt? I don't need any girl cooties you know, especially from you, sis," Max grunted, shaking his head.

May laughed, "Aren't you wondering how I got this bikini, Max?"

She held her hands behind her back, presenting her bikini for Max to behold. Ash realized that with Max here he would probably have to show him his present before May saw it, which would be a slight alteration to his original plan.

Before Max could answer, May filled him in on the fact that Ash spent his birthday money to buy her the swimsuit she wanted from Fredrick, the announcer of the Water Pokemon surfing competition. She even slid in a few remarks about how thoughtful and endearing Ash was to get it for her, almost giving her brother the slight suspicion that she and Ash seemed closer than they usual. When she let it slip that Ash had bought a present for him too, Max jumped for joy and ran up to Ash as if he were waiting for presents on Christmas day.

"I was going to ask your sister for approval first, but I guess there's no harm done. This is for you, Max, for being such a great little buddy," Ash said proudly.

He picked his hand out of his pocket to reveal a Pokeball, painted completely white with a red outline.

Max's eyes twinkled, recognizing the type of Pokeball it was. "That's a Premium Ball, isn't it?" He took the ball out of Ash's hands and examined it closely.

"Sure is, it's a pretty expensive Pokeball too," Ash said proudly, "I bought it from one of the stores on the side of the boardwalk."

"Is there a Pokemon inside?" Max asked excitedly.

"Sorry, it's an empty ball, Max," Ash smirked.

"Aw, no problem though, Ash. I'm not disappointed," Max said.

May raised an eye brow and looked at Ash suspiciously. There appeared to be something off in Ash's tone, and it wasn't just from his previous uneasiness. She noticed it when Ash handed her brother the Pokeball, something was amiss.

"That Premium Pokeball is a gift for you to capture your very first Pokemon with when you start your journey," Ash said, "We've been traveling together for a long time, and well, this is my way of making sure that you'll be on the first step to becoming an awesome trainer someday."

"I never even thought of that, that is so cool," Max blurted out, "After I get my starter Pokemon from a Professor, I am definitely going to use this to capture my first Pokemon with!" Max struck a pose launching the white Pokeball into the air triumphantly.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked its trainer quietly.

"Shhh," Ash whispered, trying to calm Pikachu down.

_Pikachu notices it too. Hmmm, Premium Balls don't usually cost a lot of money do they? _May thought, _What's going on, Ash? _

The two older trainers watched as Max scampered to his backpack and gently put the Premium Ball in the front pouch. He patted it proudly and thanked Ash enthusiastically for the gift. When May asked if Max would use the ball to capture any Pokemon right now, Max refused, saying that he wouldn't want to capture a Pokemon until he officially starts his journey. She knew that was a good idea, but she couldn't help but feel that Ash was still hiding something.

"Max!" May commanded.

Max stopped in his tracks, looking up confused. "What?"

"I thought you said you were going to go swimming with me, remember?" she reminded him.

"Oh right, I forgot about that. Do I still have to go?" Max whined.

"Be sweet for once, Max, just like you were 10 minutes ago," she winked. She walked over to Ash and tugged on his arm, pulling him with her out toward the catwalks. "While you change in the room I have to ask Ash something, ok?"

"Yeah yeah, I'll be changed in a second," Max said, closing the door.

She brought Ash and Pikachu out to the catwalk and was ready to grill him about her concern.

"I hope this doesn't sound strange or anything, but was that really the present you were going to give Max?" she asked.

"Pikapika?" Pikachu asked.

"So you're wondering too, Pikachu?" Ash said, turning to Pikachu on his shoulder. "Anyway no, that wasn't Max's real gift."

"It wasn't?"

"No, Pikachu must know why too," Ash said, "When you knocked on the door before with Max, I was just about finished with finally wrapping the paper and tying the ribbon around your gift, May. You almost caught me off guard!"

She smiled. "Ooh, then I would have spoiled the surprise, huh?"

"Something like that," Ash said, "I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but I really didn't have anything for Max at the moment."

"Huh? Then why did you have that Premium Ball? You said you spent the rest of your money on that?" May asked, muddled about the whole thing.

"I actually got the Premium Ball from Professor Latrommi," Ash admitted, "You know he works for Devon Company, and they manufacture Pokeballs like that one. Right before we headed down to the beach, he gave me that Premium Ball as a way of thanking me for all the hard work we did, helping him come to terms with himself and his inventions. Since I didn't have time to actually buy Max anything, I figured that he would probably like the Premium Ball, since it's pretty cool and has a higher chance of capturing Pokemon than a normal Pokeball. It'll be good use for him to use for his first Pokemon capture."

"Oh, well…I guess that makes sense," May said uneasily.

"That's not all though, I have a real present that I want to give Max too," Ash added, "But I want you to hold onto it for him, since you're his sister."

"That's what you mentioned before, right?"

Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded envelope filled to the brim with cash. It was the other half of his birthday money that he had left over from May's swimsuit. He handed it to May and instructed her to hold onto the money for him, since he knew Max was too young to be carrying so much money on his own. She held the envelope in her hands and agreed to keep it in a safe place, there was just about 300 smackers in there that Ash was willing to give to Max.

"You know, if you give this money to Max, you'll have spent all your birthday money on the two of us," May said cautiously.

"Didn't I say before that you two deserve it?" Ash asked cheerfully, "I feel somewhat guilty getting you a gift but nothing for Max, so I hope the Premium Ball and the money makes up for it. I want you to hold onto the money for him until he sees something he wants, that way he can get a present for himself."

"That's very sweet of you, Ash," she said, holding the envelope in her right hand. She looked at the closed door of the room and then back at him. "When Max is done changing I'll put the money away in my fanny pack, I promise not to misplace it or anything," she said.

She gazed at him fondly, the altruism toward her brother was what made Ash so alluring. Aside from being pretty attractive himself, his personality shone through and shattered every barrier otherwise. He wasn't a guy just looking to get a girl, but he was a guy who wanted to make other people happy. She chuckled to herself, _Drew never really cared about my brother, the nerve he had. You don't try to swoon someone over by roses and false flattery, only shallow girls fall for that. _

It was time to let her bottled up feelings gradually emerge.

"By the way, Ash, do you want to come swimming with us too?" she asked sweetly.

"Ok, of course, I guess I have nothing better to do," Ash grinned, "Is Brock going to join us too?"

"Brock is…busy at the moment, I'm sure he's having a good time though," May said awkwardly, "Anyway, time to see how this Skitty/Torchic swimsuit is in the water. It would be rude of me to just wear the bikini you bought but never "use" it right?"

"Pika pika," Pikachu shook its head.

She approached him and took his hand, knowing that he was still feeling the aftermath of the kiss. She wanted to ease him into this as best she could, for she too was experiencing the feeling of doubt and insecurity. Max almost completely escaping from their mind, they slowly walked around the catwalks hand in hand. Pikachu stood by the hotel door, dumbfounded. Ash and May didn't usually hold hands when they walked together, did they?

"Nothing changed, right, Ash?" she asked, "You're ok with what I did before, right?"

"Um, I guess so," Ash said sheepishly, "I'm not sure what to make of the whole kissing thing…I've never done that before."

"My…Mom, always said that a kiss should be special," May said softly, "It was my first kiss too, and I…shared it with you."

Ash tried to hold back his scarlet colored cheeks, but it was of no use. May noticed them and giggled, as they continued to walk down the catwalks and into the corridors of the lobby area.

"Should I say thank you for the kiss?" Ash asked naively.

"Wha? No, you dummy!" May said, playfully pulling on his arm. She spoke sincerely, "I just want to know if you liked it. If…you like _me _that is."

Ash's throat went dry, but he tried to keep up his end of the conversation. While he wasn't sure about his feelings on May as a whole, he knew what he liked.

"It was nice," Ash said simply.

"That's good enough," May giggled, "I was worried you'd freak out, but I'm glad you're not totally turned off by the idea of me kissing you."

"Kissing? I thought it was just one kiss," Ash asked.

May stopped walking and turned to him, their eyes met as they were about equal height. She bashfully shrugged her shoulders as her pink Skitty swimsuit glimmered in the sun.

"That was just one kiss, but there could be more where that came from. I…could kiss you again if you let me," she said jittery.

Ash took a deep breath, and after some careful thought, he decided to hug her instead. He wrapped his arms around her body and brought her up against his own. May leaned her head against his shoulder yearningly, blushing with excitement. He wasn't quite sure why he decided to hug her, but perhaps it was because he was too nervous about the prospect of kissing her again, that he thought this was a much easier alternative.

"We could hug too, that's not out of the question either," May laughed, rubbing her face along his shoulders.

"If…if you say so," Ash said affectionately, "We kind of already held each other the whole time while surfing. I'm used to holding you in my arms by now."

"That's a funny way of looking at things, guess we both enjoyed holding onto each other, huh?" May asked.

She took her head off his body and stepped a bit backward, looking up at him.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Go get changed," May winked.

She removed herself from his embrace and pointed back toward the catwalks where their room was.

Ash was flabbergasted, "Whoa, I totally forgot! We actually walked down through the whole lobby and forgot about Max and Pikachu?"

"Guess so!" May smiled, "You don't forget Pikachu often, you must have been really focused on me to totally have your best buddy slip your mind."

"Well I…" Ash stuttered.

"Go," May said humorously, pointing again, "And bring my brother back with you, I want to cool off in the water, it's hot as hell out here."

"Alright, one little brother and a Pikachu coming up, they'll be coming with me!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Awesome," May said, "Hurry up though, because besides that, I want to see you shirtless again!"

Ash stood still in amazement. It was quite shocking to know everything that was going on in her mind was now becoming blatant. He thought about how she probably always really liked him holding her around on the surfboard as well as being shirtless, but she never really made it apparent other than some sly comments. Then again, he quickly came to the realization that he liked seeing her in a bikini as well, so apparently, things were becoming pretty clear.

Outside the hotel room, an impatient Max in his bathing suit was tapping his slippers against the floor. Pikachu sat on the bench confused.

"Where the heck did they go?!" Max gasped, "One minute she's on my back to get changed so she could go swimming, and the next she disappears with Ash! What is it with those two lately?"

"Chuu, pika!" Pikachu grinned, agreeing with Max.

~*~*~*

Brock held his clothes jumbled in a ball in his arms. He was wearing just his bathing suit, trying to pick up all his apparel that was scattered along the floor. He awkwardly walked around the edge of the hot spring tub, trying to spot his socks. He was hoping they didn't accidentally get knocked into the water during the "excitement."

"Where could they be? My socks can't just disappear somewhere," Brock said confounded.

He looked around the premises some more until he eventually gave up. He turned back to Tana and Jamie who were busy getting dressed themselves.

"Hey, did you two see my socks anywhere?" Brock asked.

Tana was busy straightening out her red hair with her comb, but she made an effort to respond. "Are you sure it's not under our stuff?" she responded, "It could be under my clothes or something."

"Hm, maybe," Brock said, his eyes almost in a trance as Tana pulled a shirt on over her bare chest.

"I have them," Jamie said, holding out a pair of green socks, "They were hanging off the railing by the wall."

"Oh thanks!" Brock said.

He took the socks from her and stuck it in the jumble of clothes he was holding. He started walking for the exit, but turned around one last time to say something.

"Um, we'll see each other again, right?" Brock asked feverishly.

Jamie cracked her neck nonchalantly, exhausted from the "workout" moments before. Unlike her friend however, Tana quickly ran up to Brock to say goodbye to him before he left.

"I'd like to see you again," Tana said sweetly, "And not just for another "hot spring" session either."

"That's a bummer, I really enjoyed the "hot spring" session," Brock snickered.

"No, I mean…we can do this again sure thing, but I really want to see more of you otherwise," Tana said modestly, "I really like you, Brock, but…"

She turned her head toward Jamie, who was sitting on the lounge chair putting her jeans on. Jamie seems to be pretty indifferent, and Brock took notice of it. Tana turned and faced Brock again.

"I don't think this double dating thing is going to work out," she said, "Jamie actually spent more time on me during our playtime together than you, which was really surprising."

"Yeah, I noticed," Brock said elated, remembering the girl on girl action he watched in all its glory.

"You don't get it, do you?" Tana asked, placing her hand on his cheek. "I want a real relationship with you, Brock, but I don't think Jamie does. She's just in it for the…"

"Figures," Brock said sternly, "But hey, getting one girl out of the deal still sounds good. How's about this, I can cook you a three course meal tomorrow, just another example of my cooking skills. After that we can just hang out around the beach, my friends should be staying here for at least another couple of days."

"Good, I was just afraid you might run off with your friends after you had your way with us," Tana sighed, "My previous boyfriends were all like that, but you're different. I can see that there's a real fine young man behind all your hormones."

"I'll…take that as a compliment," Brock chuckled.

In his nervousness his shirt slipped off the bundle of clothes he was carrying, falling to the floor. Knowing that Brock was holding too much to bend down and pick it up without dropping everything, Tana plucked his shirt up and placed it back on top.

"Thanks," Brock said, "I'll be heading back to the hotel to see if my friends are there, see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow then," she said.

She moved in forward and kissed Brock on the cheek, and then started walking back toward her friend. Brock smiled, happy that Tana was serious about him. He exited the hot spring area and began making his way to the locker room to change into his clothes, squealing to himself the whole way for his "achievement" in the way of women.

~*~*~*

Ash, May, Max and Pikachu spent the afternoon swimming on the beach. Finally relieved of the humidity, May was as upbeat as ever, playfully jumping on Ash's back and making him carry her through the waves. He wobbled carelessly due to her weight, holding her legs with his arms while she had her arms wrapped across his neck. Every wave would threaten to knock the duo over, but Ash promised her that he would never let her fall into the water. As a few more threatening waves began to form, she clutched him around tightly as she rested flatly on his back, with Ash hunched over anticipating the assault.

"This wave looks too big, it's going to knock us both over for sure!" May gasped.

"Not if I can help it," Ash said, "I'll try to withstand it!"

"You're crazy, Ash! You may be determined but a wave that big is going to cover both of us and knock us around. You're not too smart, are ya?"

"How 'bout I just drop you into the water now and run back to shore myself, that'll work," Ash teased.

May laughed as she tightened her grip around him as the wave approached.

"If this wave does knock us over, I'm getting the last croissant when we eat dinner tonight," she said.

"Oh c'mon, you always eat all of the croissants and leave none left for me! This wouldn't be any different than usual, May," Ash said, looking up at her.

"Fine, then how about…a…"

"…kiss?" Ash finished for her.

"How…how did you know I was going to say that?" May asked.

"Because you're May, I think I know how May works by now," Ash said.

"So it's a deal then, if we get knocked over by the wave we share another kiss, right, Ash?"

"_If _we both get knocked over together, don't hold your breath for that one though."

"I'll only have to hold my breath while I'm underwater, because we're definitely going to be sunk!" May exclaimed.

As the wave was about to crash down upon them, Ash purposely let go of May's legs and let her gently down to the sand.

"Ash, why'd you let me down?" May asked as she waded in the water. She turned around to find Ash but he was nowhere around!

"Good luck, May!" Ash cheered, running back to shore.

"Wow, I am going to definitely kill you for this, Ash Ketchum," May said sternly.

A second later, the wave crashed down on top of her and submerged her beneath the waves. Ash and Max chuckled from the shore as they watched May desperately try to stand up, only to be knocked over by a similar sized wave soon afterward.

"Think I was a little hard on her, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu pika," Pikachu said.

Max snorted, "Nah, my sister will survive, it's no biggie."

An annoyed May started walking back to shore, with fire in her eyes gearing toward Ash. She walked up to Ash and spoke quietly, so neither Max or Pikachu would hear.

"If you didn't want to kiss me again you should have just said so, you didn't have to pull a stunt like that," she whispered.

Ash looked at her confused, "I didn't drop you because of _that." _

"Maybe it's because you're too afraid to feel another kiss, I think I felt your lips trembling the first time," she said.

"I'm not afraid," Ash said earnestly.

"Uh, what are you two whispering about?" Max asked, walking over to Ash and May.

"Nothing that concerns you, Max, but I think I'll head back to the hotel room now. I've had enough salt water in my mouth for one day," she said.

She gave Ash the eye before she picked up her towel, drying herself off while walking. All that could be seen was the chibi Skitty face on the bottom of her bikini as she walked off in the distance.

_Afraid to kiss her again? I think May is a little afraid herself, _Ash thought.

~*~*~*

"WHERE IS IT?" May gasped frantically.

She shook her fanny pack awkwardly but it was nowhere to be found. She then searched all the dressers and drawers in the room, as well as under the beds and in the bathroom, but it was still missing!

"I don't believe this, I placed the envelope with the money right in my fanny pack before we left! How could it have disappeared?" May wondered.

She wondered if Max perhaps found the money somehow and put it in his bag, but when she searched it, it wasn't in there either.

"We all left the hotel room together…I don't know how…"

May quickly had a light bulb flash on inside her head. She left with Ash, Max and Pikachu, but what if _Brock _came back to the hotel room while they were at the beach? That was the only person that could have come in here, as the hotel room door was definitely locked when she came back.

But then again, why in the world would Brock take the money? Why in the world would Brock even search through her fanny pack in the first place, when he would never do such a thing and invade her privacy like that.

"No, it can't be Brock. Even if he did come back to the room, that doesn't make any sense," she said, "He would never do something like that."

She hopelessly began to search the room for the envelope with the money again, looking through each zipper in her fanny pack as well as getting on her hands and knees and searching the floor. This was completely insane! There were 300 bucks in that envelope, that is no laughing matter.

A fearful thought then clicked in her mind of what Ash might think if she told him she lost the money. She had just promised him before they left that she would never misplace it, but if she did tell him, would that promise be broken? After the altruistic deed of buying her the special bikini as well as the gifts for Max, she certainly couldn't upset Ash and tell him the money was missing.

"Damn it, this is so frustrating," May whined.

There was knock on the door, which startled May as she jumped.

"May?" Ash called out from outside the door.

"It's Ash," May said quietly to herself. Would she run the risk of telling him that she somehow lost the money, despite the fact that she carefully put it in her fanny pack before she left?

She quickly ran to the door and opened it, as Ash, Max and Pikachu walked into the room. Pikachu hopped on the bed, ready to take a rest after playing on the beach.

May looked at her brother with an upset feeling, he had a gift of 300 dollars and he didn't even know he got the money yet in the first place. With the money now missing, she would be heartbroken to tell him that she was holding onto it for him in the first place.

"Max?" May asked almost on impulse.

Max turned to her while whipping the lenses of his glasses with a nearby tissue.

"Do…do you still have your Premium Ball?" she asked curiously.

"Uh…sure. Why wouldn't I have it?" Max asked. He walked over to his bag and unzipped the front pouch, taking out the Premium ball and showing it to May for confirmation.

_Oh right, I'm such an idiot. I actually saw the ball in his bag before while I was searching for the money. Now I sound really stupid, he'll probably wonder why I asked such a thing, Ash too. _May thought.

"The Premium Ball?" Ash wondered, "May, I'm wondering why you would ask such a thing?"

"I know, right. Stuff doesn't just disappear out of thin air you know," Max said.

"Yeah, you're right," she replied sheepishly.

Max picked up his shorts from the bed, he was ready to change back into his clothes as he headed into the bathroom and shut the door. May looked at Ash who was still standing there for well…pretty much no reason at all. With Max in the bathroom, could she possibly break the news to Ash that the money was missing?

Ash yawned, stretching his arms. He noticed her looking at him as her eyes wobbled in doubt. "Are…are you still annoyed that I dropped you in the water?" he asked.

"No, not that," May said cautiously.

Her insides felt like they were splitting apart, it was almost _painful _to tell Ash that she lost the birthday money he had given to Max. She knew she shouldn't feel this way, especially since the money shouldn't have disappeared in the first place, but it was still painful nonetheless. How could she tell her best friend, or rather someone who may very well become more than a friend in the near future, that she lost something so important so quickly?

_It's almost like I can't tell him, _May thought, _Heck, this is even harder to say than confessing my feelings for him, oddly enough. Unless our first kiss was meant to confess my feelings, but I can't be bothered with such trivial details. _

"May, you still have the envelope with the money in it, right?" Ash asked.

"Whaaaaa….WHAT?" May gasped.

Ash was started, why did she have such a strong reaction?

May quickly calmed herself down, trying to get a grip on herself. "Sorry about that, I kinda….felt the need to "squeak" or something," she said naively.

"Heh, it was a stupid question anyway, forget it," Ash said, rubbing his tummy, "I'm getting hungry, let's go get something to eat! I'm definitely going to out-eat you at the buffet today, May."

"Uh…yeah, ok," May said, lost in thought.

"I'll share the croissants with you, just so you know," Ash winked.

"Heh, thanks a bunch, Ash," May smiled, "I just want to let you know that…"

She approached him closely, while Pikachu watched from the bed. She looked at him seriously, ready to tell him about the money…but after a few moments…she chickened out. It was still too painful to tell him.

"Aw…to heck with it," May said, disappointed in herself.

"What?" he asked.

In order to avoid suspicion, she decided to give him a bit of affection instead. Neither one of them seemed to remember that Pikachu was in the room.

She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, reminding him that they share more closeness now than before. Pikachu's ears shot up in disbelief as it watched the girl peck its trainer on the cheek with her moist girly lips.

"Pika pika?!?!??!?!" Pikachu said out loud.

"Ugh, Pikachu was here?" May shrieked in fear.

Ash scratched his cheek where she had kissed him, not really expecting that at all. He then quickly waved his hands in front of his Pokemon telling it that nothing crazy was going on.

"Pikachuuuuuu," Pikachu mocked, making little kissy faces with its little Pokemon lips.

"Pikachu, you don't think…" Ash tried to say.

May was relieved once she realized how playful Pikachu could be. "Pikachu, you're so silly!" May said happily.

"Um, Pikachu. Let's not tell anyone about this, ok?" Ash pleaded.

"Chu, pikachu. Pika, pikachu," Pikachu said, sealing its lips with its finger.

"Aw, you're wonderful, Pikachu," May said cheerfully, picking Pikachu up from the bed and squeezing it in her arms.

As Pikachu hugged May back in her arms, she stroked it on its head between its ears. Her train of thought then began to switch back to her previous dilemma.

_I'll wait till tomorrow, _she thought, _If I don't find the money by tonight, then I'll definitely tell Ash tomorrow. I…just can't believe it's gone. _

"I hope Brock manages to come back soon, or else we're going to dinner without him!" Ash said.

"Yep," May said lowly, cradling Pikachu in her arms.

_I know this sounds crazy, but Brock is the only one I can think of. I know he would never do such a thing, but he really is the only person that could have come here and went through my bag, taking the cash, _May thought desperately, _God, I hate to put the blame on one of my friends, but what choice do I have? If I ask him and he knows nothing about it, then at least I can be relieved by that. But if not him, then who…or…how? _

She tried to push the horrible thought out of her mind for the time being because she wanted to enjoy dinner with Ash and her brother. Perhaps Ash would challenge her to another round of "croissant eat 'em up?" She licked her lips in anticipation, maybe after all the eating she could spend a romantic night walking on the boardwalk hand in hand with Ash. But, no matter how hard she tried to focus her mind on the happy thoughts, she kept on drifting to that stabbing feeling in the back of her head.

The money…gone. And Brock was the only possible candidate to do it. She almost hated herself for placing the blame on him again, it was quite a frustrating ordeal, especially since he might not have done it either.

She sighed in despair. It became quite clear, May had some problems, and in more ways than one.


	33. The Mystery Menace!

**Chapter 33 ****  
**

**"The Mystery Menace!"  
**  
The sun was setting on Atona beach, the bustling day was replaced with a serene evening. The lights of the store windows were illuminated, the signs gave out a neon glow which attracted many Pokemon to its colors. Eevee and Squirtle, two of May's youngest Pokemon, ran up to the storefronts, gazing above in awe at the pretty lights. Eevee cheered in delight, bouncing playfully on the ground. Its coat of brown fur bristled in the wind, as it wagged its tail innocently knowing that its master and friends were nearby.

Sitting a few feet away on a small bench, Ash and May were resting contently while keeping a careful eye on their Pokemon in front. Pikachu sat on May's lap, facing the storefront with its head rested against her body. Her arms held the Pokemon lovingly, it was almost as if Pikachu shared the same kind of affection for May that Ash felt. It had been noted in Pokemon research and lore, that Pokemon share the feelings of their masters, sometimes taking on the same traits or personalities of their human counterparts completely. When Pikachu witnessed May peck Ash on the cheek with a kiss back in the hotel room, it started to feel as attached to her as it was to Ash. For Pikachu, Ash was his best friend and lifetime companion, but with May becoming seemingly more and more important in Ash's life, it had to accommodate its emotions to include her as well.

"Don't you just love moments like these?" May asked, fondly looking ahead at her Pokemon.

"Such as sitting and relaxing on a bench?" Ash asked, "Or watching our Pokemon amazed at the patterns of neon lights on the store windows?"

"Nah, I just mean its so peaceful," she smiled, "The smell of the saltwater is in the air, cool nights like this take away the uncomfortable heat and humidity of the day, and there's less people out now that it's just so peaceful to be here. I dunno, but I think I'm really becoming more of a "night" person."

"I see what you mean, but not me," Ash said proudly, "I'll take daylight hours over a peaceful night any day."

"Really?" she asked, gazing up at the night sky, "There's all these pretty stars out during nighttime, the way they twinkle in the sky is so beautiful. It gives the feeling that there is so much more out there, as if all those lights in the sky represent places we've never been to yet."

"Well yeah, those are stars, of course we've never been there!" Ash laughed.

"I mean here, Ash, on Earth," May said plainly, "There's so much world out there, and no matter how many places I travel to and visit, I still know there's so many more places to visit, people to see…"

"…Pokemon to capture…" Ash continued.

"…trainers to battle, Contests to be won…" she added.

"…Gyms, leagues, tournaments, a lot of stuff," Ash said.

"Yea," she said, "There's an entire world out there to see and I'm hoping we can continue to travel and see it all together."

She placed her hand softly on his, resting on top of each other on his leg. Ash and May exchanged fond glances, but this was one of the times they both wished they weren't wearing gloves. They both knew how great the feeling was when they held each other on the beach or had their skin brush against each other, but the connection of the fabric of their gloves wasn't the same. Ash wore dark black gloves on his journey, while May wore bright white gloves. They usually kept their gloves on for the majority of the day, only taking them off to wash up, sleep, or play with their Pokemon. Ash always found it funny that May wore gloves too, she always did wear them even when he met her for the first time back in Littleroot Town. Gloves were extremely handy for holding Pokeballs, as during battles the firm grip they had on the balls would prevent them from slipping out of their hands, especially in dire situations when the need to throw a ball into the battlefield was a must.

A bell chimed as a woman walked out of the store that Eevee and Squirtle were standing next to. The bell was hanging under the roof of the store, right under the door frame. Eevee really liked the sound the bell made, and waited patiently for another person to walk through the door so it could make the same delightful sound. A few moments later another person exited the store, and the ringing sound amused the little Eevee once again.

"Daylight hours give you the feeling that you have a nice long day to accomplish a lot of things," Ash said, "On days where its sunny without a cloud in the sky, you just know that you have to put all your free time into getting your training done and heading to your next destination. I get really excited just thinking about what the next day will bring, what exciting adventures or new challenges I might come across. Night may be more peaceful, but the blue sky and bright sun gets me really pumped for the new day."

"I suppose I prefer night more also because it's usually cooler out. I'm starting to think this beach has caused me to hate the sun and humidity," May said, chuckling.

Eevee's tail stopped wagging, it was getting a little upset that nobody was coming out of the store anymore. If nobody opened the door, then the bell chime would not be heard. Little Eevee lowered its ears in disappointment.

"Eevrie," Eevee moaned.

"Squirtle?"

It then came to a conclusion, if nobody was going to walk out of the store, then it just had to make the bell chime by itself. It quickly strutted itself on all fours and opened its mouth, preparing to fire a projectile attack at the bell hanging from the roof. Squirtle warned its younger friend that it might not be such a good idea, but Eevee was determined to hear that pleasant sound once more. It opened its mouth as a beam of dark energy formed, it aimed up toward the bell, and fired a small version of its Shadow Ball attack at the bell. The ball of energy made contact, causing the bell to chime loudly at it was shook back and forth on its hinges.

"Eeeeeevee!" the Pokemon cheered, the ringing sound filling its large ears.

"Squirtle, squirtle," Squirtle said, surprised that Eevee was able to do it.

Ash turned to her, "Do you think Max and Brock were able to make the reservations yet? I know the restaurant is crowed at this time but I'm getting pretty bored sitting out here."

"_Bored?" _May asked, "At least we have each other to keep each other company. I really like sitting out here with you, just talking about anything."

"I like it too!" Ash said quickly, almost trying to phase out his previous comment, "It's just that we can sit and talk at any time, but my stomach is really begging for some food."

Eevee again shot a small Shadow ball attack at the bell, which resulted in louder chimes from the impact. Squirtle decided to join in on the fun, firing a Water Gun attack at the bell too. The chimes rang again, with the two Pokemon getting more enticed by the sound each time.

"I'm hungry too, remember? Isn't that why we asked Brock and Max to go get tables for us? That way while they're inside on line, we could spend a few moments alone out here," May said, sighing. "I don't know how much time we'll have to just talk when we're traveling again."

"Are you crazy? Of course we'll have time! Just because we're going to be headed toward Gyms and Contests again doesn't mean we can't do stuff together!" Ash exclaimed.

"Like what?" May asked, sweetly.

"Well…like…" Ash pondered.

"Yeah?"

"…like…Pokemon battles?" Ash said.

May chortled, even in a possible relationship, he was still the same old Ash. Knowing that dating was a step that neither of them was ready to take yet, simply expanding on their friendship and letting it blossom into romantic interaction was a much better course of action.

"Pokemon battles, huh?" May said happily, "I guess that's easier to do than a date."

"A date?!" Ash said, shocked.

May blushed, her eyes scanning along the ground. "I…would rather train with you anyway, it's…easier."

"I don't even know what people are supposed to do on dates, I don't really like that idea that much," Ash said, thinking quickly.

"OK!" May cheered suddenly, "While other couples are doing real dates, our dates can be Pokemon battles! Who needs to go to expensive places anyway, that is so lame! Battling you every night, Ash would be much more fun!"

"And it'll help you prepare for you next Pokemon Contests too!" Ash added.

"That's right, I think our Pokemon battle dates are going to be awesome! I'll probably use my Eevee for our first battle, since I need to work on its aim….hmmm, what is Eevee doing over there anyway?" May asked, looking toward the storefront at her Eevee.

Ash and May gasped as they watched Eevee and Squirtle firing their attacks at the bell in front of the store, only this time the Pokemon weren't controlling their attacks and the bell looked like it was about to be knocked off its hinges!

"Eevee, Squirtle, STOP!" May shouted, standing up from the bench.

It was a little too late, as Eevee and Squirtle fired a Shadow Ball and Water Gun combination at the bell. Unaware of the strength they put into their attacks, the force cracked the bell off the hinge, it then came crashing down until it smashed to the ground into pieces. Eevee and Squirtle gasped as they realized what they had done, and quickly ran toward their master in fear. With Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, May quickly cuddled her two youngest Pokemon in her arms.

Eevee and Squirtle started to pout and cry in her arms, as if they had done something shameful and should be punished. May held them lovingly and reassured them that she wasn't mad at them, but they had to know that playing with other peoples property wasn't a game, and that they had to be careful with their attacks.

"It's ok you two, we'll just have to apologize to the store owner for breaking his bell," May said.

Tears came out of Eevee's eyes, May compassionately stroke its fur trying to calm it down.

"Aw, c'mon you little furball," May said playfully, "It was an accident, I'm sure you didn't mean to shoot the bell off the hinge."

Eevee licked May's hand for her kindness. She looked at Ash as the two agreed to apologize to the shopkeeper for wrecking the bell.

Suddenly, they heard some enraged shouting coming from inside the store. It was in a southern accent, as a man was cussing and shouting insults running toward the front of the store.

"Who in darn 'tootin wrecked my here bell? 'hose varmints are going to pay dearly for this!" the man shouted.

From inside the store, Ash and May heard a shotgun being cocked. May held her two Pokemon under both arms as she looked toward Ash for support.

"Whoever is out there is goin' get pumped full of lead, ya hear?" the man warned.

The shotgun was fired at the roof of the store, as the sound of the bullet startled the two trainers. Apparently the storeowner was being serious!

"Uh, May? About apologizing to the store owner…" Ash suggested uneasily.

"Yeah, you're right….LET'S FORGET ABOUT IT!" May shrieked.

With the Pokemon in her arms, Ash and May quickly darted out of sight and ran across the boardwalk toward the restaurant they were going to eat at as quickly as possible.

The shopkeeper exited the store only to see an empty boardwalk in front of him. He looked down at the shattered bell on the ground, and with his shotgun cocked, he mumbled a few nonsensical phrases as he walked back into his shop in defeat.

"Darn it, all 'dem kids manage to run 'way so darn fast. T'is shotgun is never goin' be used for anything," the man pouted, walking back into his store.

~*~*~*

May kept her eyes on Brock during the meal at the restaurant. She was still in doubt, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow connected to the missing envelope with 300 dollars. There were several indications that he was acting oddly at the table, such as stuttering nervously while he spoke and coughing into his arms frequently. The fact that the trio found Brock walking alone on the boardwalk right as they were headed to the restaurant was also pretty suspicious.

She awkwardly twirled her spaghetti with her fork and brought it to her mouth, slurping it up as Brock munched on a slice of bread with butter. Ash was busy stuffing himself with six different variations of pasta, while Max was eating a sandwich. She tried to take her mind off the thought that she was placing a lot of the blame on Brock, despite the fact that there was really no conclusive evidence that he _should _be blamed.

"Hey, Brock!" Ash said, in between stuffing his mouth full of food, "You never told…"

"Nobody can understand you when you talk with your face stuffed, Ash," Max said knowingly, "Didn't your mother ever teach you any table manners?"

"He's just really hungry!" May snickered.

Ash gulped down what he was chewing and panted while swallowing. "Like I was going to say before Max interrupted, I want to ask you something, Brock."

"Go ahead," Brock said, taking a sip of his glass of soda.

"You never told us about what you did with Tana and Jamie!" Ash said.

Brock nervously gasped as the soda almost went up his nose rather than down his throat. He pushed the glass aside and coughed as he swallowed the drink.

"What I _did _with them?" Brock asked.

"You…went to the hot springs with them right?" May asked, curiously.

"Yeah, I did!" Brock exclaimed, "We…uh…just spent most of our time relaxing in the water together…and whatever…"

"Were you all alone with them?" Max asked.

May looked at her brother oddly.

Brock nodded. "I had fun with them, errr…I mean to say I had a fun _time _with them," he shook his head nervously, "Oh great, that didn't sound right either."

"Hehehhee," Max chuckled, "I think you did something else with those girls!"

"MAX!" May shouted across the table, "Stop saying such things!"

Max squirmed in his seat under his sister's wrath, "Sorry, I just think Brock isn't telling the whole story."

"You're a nosy kid, you know that, Max?" Brock asked.

"I tell him that all the time," May added, agreeing with him.

Ash took a giant bite out of the meat he was holding, chewing with his mouth open. He was enjoying the food so much that he was disinterested in continuing the conversation that he started.

Brock continued to weasel his way out of the topic, he wasn't quite ready to announce the state of his manhood to three children, and three who were as innocent and naïve of the concept as a person can get.

May took his awkwardness in the wrong way however, and continued to relate it to her own problem. She was somewhat upset with the fact that she didn't have the courage to ask him about the money herself. After all, if she didn't ask him, who would?

~*~*~*

After dinner, the group was heading back to the hotel to get some rest. Ash and Max were walking ahead of Brock and May, chatting about various things and making general conversation. Since Ash and her brother were both walking a few feet ahead, she figured that now would be the best time to ask him about the money, without the two connected to the problem to hear about it.

"Um, Brock?" May asked, "I know this may sound a little strange, but I want to ask you something."

"If it's more about Tana and Jamie, I'll pass," Brock said, "Quite frankly, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the sensation…ugh…I mean the _situation _myself."

"Well no it's not about them, well…maybe, or kinda…but eh…maybe not," May said in embarrassment, "Um, what I really want to ask is, when you came back to the hotel room after your hot spring time with those girls, did you…misplace anything in the room?"

"Misplace anything?" Brock asked, confused, "What do you mean? I hurried back to the room to see if you guys were there, but you were all down on the beach at that time. Since I didn't know where you guys were, I just left the room and checked out the various places on the boardwalk."

"Oh, but you did go into the hotel room when we weren't there right?" May asked.

"Uh… _yeah," _Brock said, trying to figure out what May was getting at.

_Hmmm, since he said he went into the room while the rest of us were on the beach, he was the only one that was in the room alone with the money in the envelope. _May thought, _That still doesn't make sense though, because in order for him to see the envelope he would have to go through my fanny pack, and Brock never goes through my things. _

"Is something wrong, May?" Brock asked.

May snapped out of her train of thought and put her hands behind her head nervously, "Oh no, not really, but…um...you see, there was this _gift _that Ash gave to…"

Brock cut her off, "Ha, you mean the Skitty/Torchic bikini that Ash bought you?" Brock chuckled happily, "Ash told me about the gift while we were headed to the restaurant, that was really amazing of him to go and get that for you."

_Not that gift, _May thought.

"I never would have thought of Ash to be the thoughtful one in this context," Brock said, looking ahead at Ash and Max, "I've traveled with Ash for such a long time now, and it's incredible to see what length he always goes to make his friends happy."

"Yeah, Ash is awfully sweet," May said, enamored.

"You tried it on for him, huh?" Brock laughed.

"Hey, of course!" May smiled.

The change of topic seemed to flow easily, May found talking about Ash and the bikini to be much more enticing than the horrible thought of putting the blame on him for taking the money.

"I think Ash really liked how I looked while wearing it," May squealed, "And of course we headed right down to the beach afterward, because I wanted to show him how much I appreciate it."

"That's really great, I'm happy for you. You got what you wanted after all, even after all the hardships you had to endure. It must be luck of the draw," Brock said.

"You got lucky too huh?" May asked.

"Let's not go there," Brock said sternly, "All this talk about me getting it on is getting me nervous, and that's a first…hey, Ash!"

Brock quickly ran ahead to catch up to Ash and Max, hoping to start a conversation with them.

"Hey…I was only going to say that he got lucky because two girls seem to like him," May said with her hands on her hips, "What else did he think I was thinking?"

May stared ahead at Brock and the others, as Brock put his hands on Ash's shoulder and rubbed his other hand playfully through Max's hair. May was quickly reminded of what a great friend he was, how protective he was of the three of them, and how he always looked out for their best interests on their journey.

"It can't be Brock," she said quietly, "He's too close a friend to take some money out of my bag and not say anything, especially $300. I shouldn't have blamed him in the first place, its…gotta still be in the room somewhere…maybe I just didn't look hard enough."

May sighed in relief and jogged toward them to rejoin her friends.

~*~*~*~*

"Why is my Premium Ball on the floor?" Max asked, flabbergasted.

He picked up the ball from the floor and looked at it oddly. He distinctly remembered putting the Premium Ball in his backpack before he left the hotel room, yet when they returned, it was resting in the middle of the room.

May walked over to her brother quickly. "You zipped up the zipper all the way when you put it back right? Maybe it just rolled out."

"Of course I did!" Max retaliated, "I showed it to you remember? And then I put it back inside."

"Well, what's the big deal then?" Ash asked, dumbfounded, "You guys are making this out like it's a big mystery, it's nothing to be concerned about."

"Hey, Ash, you wouldn't like it if your things weren't where you put them last would you?" May asked, angrily.

"Hey, calm down!" Ash said uneasily, "I was just saying."

May grinded her teeth in suspicion, this was the second time that something in their room was misplaced. She trusted her brother well enough to take good care of the ball, but something strange was going on. She pulled on her white skirt awkwardly, but reminded herself by saying that at least the Premium Ball was still in the room rather than completely missing like the money.

Ash and Brock both noticed May's awkwardness, but they couldn't place the reason for it. May got up from the bed and started to check all the windows in their room, as well as the front door to make sure that the locks were working correctly. She pushed aside the curtains and made sure the sliding windows were in fact locked, and then walked over to the bathroom to confirm that the window there was closed too.

Max asked, "May, what are you paranoid or something?"

"Quiet, Max," May said, checking under the beds and looking for any openings in the walls.

Ash hesitated a bit, but decided to knock on the wall above the bed May was crouched under. The knock startled May as she jumped out from under the bed and looked around the room alarmed.

"WHO DID THAT?" May screamed.

"I did," Ash said.

"Wha…what is wrong with you, Ash?!" May yelled angrily, "Why would you scare me like that?"

Ash walked over to May and placed his hands on her shoulders, lowering her to make her sit on the edge of the bed. Ash stood next to her as Brock, Max and Pikachu looked confused as well.

"ASH?!" May said annoyed.

"CALM DOWN!" Ash retaliated, "You're acting strangely, and by knocking on the wall I guess I was right. You're looking for something or someone aren't you?"

"No…you're…" May started.

"No, Ash is right," Brock said in agreement, "You're jumpy and awfully tense, you shouldn't be yelling at him for his concern about you. We're all a bit confused, May."

May got up from the bed and brushed past Ash and Brock. She walked to the sliding windows next to the door again and peeked outside.

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked its master.

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

May turned around to her friends and clenched a fist worriedly by her face, "Guys, I think someone might be coming into our room while we're not here!"

"Huh?" the gang said in unison.

"I said I think someone is breaking into our room while we're not around, and they're messing with our stuff!" May said distressed.

"What makes you say that? Just because Max's Premium Ball was on the floor?" Ash asked confused.

"No…but because…" May said faint-heatedly, glancing at her yellow fanny pack on the dresser. She looked back at Ash and still didn't have the heart to break the news to him.

Ash followed her glance, and had a good idea of what she was upset about. "…yeah?" he encouraged her.

May brushed her hair out of her eyes and pulled her red bandana off her head. She handed her bandana to Ash and instructed him to tie it over his eyes. Since Ash wasn't moving fast enough for her, she took it upon herself to tie the ends of the bandana over his eyes. She tied the knot tightly so that it was secure on his head, and so his eyes were completely covered.

"And what is this supposed to accomplish?" Max asked snootily.

"I want Ash to sleep through the night with my bandana on as a blindfold," May instructed.

"Are you insane?" Ash growled.

"No, but I want you to tell me with a straight face that nothing odd is happening around here. I can tell what you're thinking by the look in your eyes, Ash, and with them covered, I want to tell your decision by the tone of your voice," May said, slightly perplexed.

"She's cracked, should I go call up my Mom and tell her that May needs some medicine?" Max asked.

"Please, Ash," May said softly, "I want to hear it from you."

"Pikachu pikachu," Pikachu shook its head discouragingly.

"How can I say that nothing odd is happening around here?" Ash said agitated, "If there IS something odd going around here, I already know what it is…it's you!"

May was silent.

Ash pulled the bandana off his face and handed it back to her. May looked at the cloth in her hands bewildered. He put his hand on her right arm and rubbed it reassuringly, as he could see there was a lot of doubt and confusion in her eyes.

"Sorry, May, but if there's something bothering you you're going to have to do a better job explaining it than this," Ash said compassionately.

May nodded, and while Ash took it as a response, in her mind she came to the conclusion that she was on her own in this matter.

"OK, but if more things start missing in our room, then I can say that I was right," May said, brushing Ash's hand away, plopping herself down on her bed.

"But…there's been nothing missing in the room so far!" Max blurted out, "I think you're just stressed out or something."

_Or maybe there IS something missing, _Ash thought.

~*~*~*~

It was 12:30pm, the group were all sleeping quietly in their beds with the lights out. They were all in their sleepwear, undershirts and pajamas respectively. Pikachu was sleeping next to Ash on the pillow, with their two heads leaning against one another. May turned around in her sleep, hoping to get into a comfortable position while in slumber land.

Max's backpack was leaning against the dresser on the floor, with the pouch zipper facing the beds. Slowly, and oddly enough, the zipper on the pouch began to open by itself. There was something inside of the bag that was opening up the zipper from the inside out.

Due to her earlier distress, May tossed in her bed again and opened her eyes slowly. She yawned loudly, hoping to get more sleep instead of spending the next several minutes thinking about sleeping. Before she could close her eyes again, an awkward sound surprised her.

"Hmm?" May uttered sleepily, sitting up in her bed, looking at the dresser across the room.

Max's backpack had toppled over, and was now resting flat on its front.

She yawned again, and shook her head over getting so tense about a backpack falling over. Just as May was going to rest down in her bed, the backpack lifted itself off its front and leaned itself against the dresser by itself.

"Huh?" May said aghast, rubbing her eyes carefully to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

The bag was indeed resting against the dresser instead of flat on the floor. May took a deep breath, she hoped that she was seeing things before and that the bag never fell over to begin with.

"Maybe…I'm just seeing things," she said tiredly.

What she witnessed next alarmed her, the zipper of the front pouch was opening by itself! Aghast, May watched silently as something poked itself out of the pouch…it was white and round in shape. It was the Premium Ball, and it slowly slid out of the pouch completely and rolled onto the floor.

She was frightened at this point, her teeth chattering and hand wobbling due to what she was seeing. Did this Pokeball really open the zipper of Max's bag and roll itself out all by itself? She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and wake everyone up, but due to being overwhelmed with fear she couldn't do anything else but watch. Little did she know, the worst was yet to come.

Four compartments on the bottom of the Pokeball began to open up. Outside of these little holes, four slim metal legs emerged. Resembling the legs of a spider, these four metal legs raised the ball a few inches from the ground, and gave the ball enough strength to walk around.

She had hoped that this was a dream and that this Pokeball wasn't really sprouting legs, but it was all too real. She tried to yell out for help but her voice failed her, and nothing came out of her mouth. She knew she had to wake up her friends, but was too scared stiff to do anything.

The four thin metal legs were silent as they walked around the carpet of the room. The Premium ball rotated seamlessly while connected to the legs, almost as if it were trying to get a good view of the surroundings. The button in the middle of the ball was acting as if it were an eyeball, peering out of every which way like a Cyclops.

May quietly slid herself back down in her bed, she was terrified of the thought if the Pokeball would spot her sitting upright. Regaining a bit of her composure, her right hand moved along the bed trying to find something to pick up, _anything _that she can use to wake up Ash and the others. Her hand came across a piece of cloth, her bandana, and figured this was her best bet. With the covers slightly over her head to avoid being seen, she flung her bandana to the bed left of hers as it fell on top of Ash's eyes. Much to her dismay, the boy didn't seem to be moving.

_Wake up! _May shouted in her mind.

The Premium Ball turned and faced the dresser which towered above it. Using its four legs as arms, it began to climb its way up the dresser, using the handles for support. Unlike its movement on the carpet, the movement on the dresser gave off slight scratching sounds, which made it easier to hear.

She pulled the covers away from her eyes, and looked at the moving Pokeball in fear. The Premium Ball not only conquered the dresser, but it was heading toward her fanny pack which lay on top of it!

Her eyes widened in disbelief, as the ball used its metal legs to open the pouches of her fanny pack, and using the button in the center as an eye, it almost looked as if it were searching for something.

_THE MONEY?! _the thought clicked in her mind almost instantly.

She looked over in Ash's direction again, hoping that the kid would finally wake up so she didn't have to go through this alone. After a few moments, he began to realize there was a bandana on top of his face, and while half asleep, he pulled it away from himself. The bandana dropped to the floor, as Ash turned to the left, facing away from her and dozing off to sleep.

_Ash, you were supposed to wake up! _May shouted silently to herself.

She peered over her covers again, and spotted the Premium Ball still searching through her fanny pack. She was still in disbelief that this was really happening, just what in the world was going on? How or why did this Pokeball sprout legs, and why did it seem like it had a mind of its own?

In a last act of hope, she tried to quietly shout Ash's name, in some hope that he might hear her.

"ASH!" May called out, low enough so the ball wouldn't "hear" her, but loud enough for Ash to hear it.

He didn't budge an inch. She cried out his name again, but he still rested silently. Her frustration quickly caught up with her anxiety, and so her voice unintentionally raised slightly.

"Damnit, ASH!" she cried out.

The Premium Ball quickly turned its attention toward May in the bed, and lowered its leg which was searching through the bag. The ball must have somehow heard that May was calling out Ash's name!

May's eyes widened in shock as she made contact with the ball "staring" at her. Fearing the worst, she hid herself under the covers. However, there was no death beam or disintegration like she feared, only silence. She slowly lifted the covers off her head again and glanced at the ball while trembling.

The Premium Ball slowly raised its metal legs to lower itself down the dresser, going down one small part at a time, as if it were trying to head its way back inside Max's backpack and pretend the whole thing never happened.

May knew that she couldn't let this happen however, because if the ball returned from whence it came then nobody would believe her in the first place! A walking Pokeball was hard enough to swallow as it is, let alone if the walking Pokeball returns to the bag and disavows all knowledge of its actions.

In one last attempt, May called Ash's name again, this time in a normal speaking voice. To her surprise, Ash turned to her and opened his eyes!

"May?" Ash asked tiredly, still resting on the pillow.

The Premium Ball turned its "eye" toward Ash and May, and now it _knew _it had to move fast.

May mustered up enough courage, pointed with her finger and shouted, "THE POKEBALL HAS LEGS!"

Pikachu woke up from the noise as Ash slouched himself up from the bed and looked over in the direction she was pointing. Ash's heart nearly skipped a beat as he spotted the Premium Ball raised on four metal legs walking toward Max's backpack!

"PIAKCHU?" Pikachu shouted in disbelief.

Knowing that the situation was dire, the Premium Ball figured that there was no way it could stay here any longer. It began to dart toward the door, at an incredible speed, and tried desperately to turn the doorknob with its slim metal legs.

"What the heck?!" Ash yelled, sitting up in his bed.

"THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU!" May shouted, "THE POKEBALL, IT WALKS!"

Max and Brock woke up from the yelling, and were irritated as they looked at Ash and May.

"What's going on?" Max asked sleepily, putting on his glasses.

He turned on the light next to his bed, and then jumped in his seat as he saw his gift turning the doorknob for the front door!

The door opened up, and the Premium Ball jumped itself down to the floor, ready to scamper out of the room.

"It's...trying to make a break for it!" Brock yelled.

The "eye" of the ball looked up at Ash and Pikachu, and then darted out of the room.

"Ash…don't just sit there…run after it!" May gasped.

Its trainer was still in shock, but Pikachu hopped off the bed and began to chase the Pokeball outside the hotel room.

"PIKACHU!" Ash called out.

The metal legs on the Premium Ball carried it at alarming speeds down the catwalks, as the electric rodent had a hard time keeping up.

"May, what is going on?!" Ash asked, getting up from his bed and peering out the door. His black orange-striped T-shirt and boxers blew in the wind from outside.

"The Premium Ball…I think it took the money!" May blurted out, finally revealing her problem to Ash.

Ash nodded, "I _knew _there was something you weren't telling me!"

He darted out the door in his sleep ware and began to give chase to Pikachu and the Premium Ball ahead of him.

May, Max and Brock still sat in their beds in complete confusion and bewilderment.

"Who would have thunk it, a walking Pokeball?" Brock said.

"That thing nearly scared me half to death, I thought I was seeing things!" May gasped.

She jumped up from her bed and checked her fanny pack on the dresser. She looked through all the pouches but nothing was missing.

"Now I'm sure of it, that Premium Ball was going through my bag suspiciously, it must have something to do with your missing money, Max!" May exclaimed.

"Uh…what money?" Max asked, confused.

May face-faulted as she realized she hasn't told Max about the money Ash had given him as a present yet.

~*~*~*

The Premium Ball continued to scamper ahead erratically, with Pikachu and Ash following closely behind it.

"Don't let it out of your sight, Pikachu!" Ash said, "We gotta figure out what is going on!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

The two turned a corner as the Premium Ball ran vertically up a wall in the lobby of the hotel. It somehow had enough strength in those thin metal legs to cling to the wall and run across it. Ash and Pikachu watched with gapping expressions.

"That thing runs _fast," _Ash said, looking at the ball above.

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked, pointing to the ball.

"You're right, if we can't follow it up the wall we'll just have to get it down ourselves!" Ash said.

He took his slipper off his right foot, and with an awkward aim, he threw his slipper at the Premium ball above. The ball quickly darted across the wall and avoided the slipper, while still remaining safe and secure high up the wall near the ceiling.

Ash picked up his slipper and put it back on, slightly distressed, "That didn't work."

"Pikachu pikachu pika!" Pikachu yelled.

"Oh you're right!" Ash said, "Why am I throwing my slipper at it when I could just have you try to get it down? Alright, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt attack on the ball!"

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted.

It charged up its electric body and unleashed an electric attack at the ball. The electricity made contact, and the Premium ball lost its grip on the wall and fell to the ground.

"We got it!" Ash cheered.

"Pikachu!"

Their cheers were short lived however, as after a few electric sparks from the ball, its legs raised it again as it "stared" down its opponents. The button in the middle of the ball started to glow an eerie white light.

"Is it going to blow up or something?" Ash said confused.

"ASH!" a voice shouted from behind him.

Ash and Pikachu turned around to see May and Max standing behind him, both in their sleepwear. She was wearing her yellow T-shirt and blue spandex shorts, while Max was wearing his white tank top and green shorts.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ash asked.

"We followed you, what does it look like!" May replied sarcastically.

"PIKACHU PIKA!" Pikachu shouted, bringing the attention to the Premium Ball.

The white light in the center of the Pokeball illuminated the entire room, encompassing the three humans and the Pikachu that stood in front of it.

"Maybe we should call for help!" Max gasped.

"Where is Brock anyway?" Ash asked frantically.

"He ran to go get an Officer Jenny!" May said.

"Officer Jenny? At this hour? What is he crazy?!" Ash shouted.

"I dunno, maybe he's still attracted to Jennies even after being with Tana and Jamie," May shrugged her shoulders.

"Guys…I really think we should get out of here!" Max yelled fearfully.

May quickly held her brother and brought him close to her side, in order to protect him from any potential threat. Ash and Pikachu stood in front in a battle ready position, ready to protect the frightened siblings if case need be.

"Pikachu, try another Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt attack at the ball, but this time the illuminating light completely phased out the electric attacks.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, surprised.

"The electric attacks don't look like they're working!" May shouted.

"I can see that!" Ash shouted back.

The light continued to fill the room, until eventually Ash, Pikachu, Max and May were frozen in their place. Before they could blink, the light consumed the four beings, and against their will, it retracted them inside the Pokeball. The gang screamed as their matter was transported inside, there was no way to escape it. The top of the ball closed once they were consumed, and the bright light disappeared as the room returned to normal. With the room now empty, the Premium Ball continued on its merry way, using its four metal legs to scurry across the hotel.

~*~*~*

In a hotel room on the other side of the beach, Jamie and Tana were sleeping in the same bed in their lingerie. The covers were up to their chests, sleeping side by side with their legs intertwined beneath the covers.

Suddenly, a bright light began to form in the middle of the room above the beds. The light was so intense that Tana and Jamie could no longer sleep through it, as they woke up and stared at the light forming above them.

"What's going on?" Jamie asked.

"It's so friggin bright, how annoying!" Tana whined, shielding her eyes with her arm.

They continued to stare in shock at the lights above, and even more so when four figures began to materialize above them.

"Something…is coming out?" Tana asked, pulling her lingerie strap back on her shoulder.

The bodies of Ash, Pikachu, Max and May soon materialized in the white light above the bed, and after a few more seconds, the light disappeared in which the group came pummeling down on top of the bed.

May and Max fell on top of one another, while Ash fell on top of the girls' legs underneath the blanket. Pikachu however manage to fall face first into Tana's chest.

"PIKA!" Pikachu exclaimed, trying to pick its head out of her curves.

"What…what is going on here?!" Tana shouted, plucking Pikachu up and placing it down in front of her.

After getting over their initial disorientation, May, Max and Ash looked up on the bed to see two of Brock's "friends" in skimpy lingerie with absent-minded expressions.

"Uh…we were just dropping by?" Ash bemused, scratching his face.

"Did we just get…transported?" Max asked, "I…I think that Premium Ball somehow transported us into Tana and Jamie's bedroom!"

"That must be it," Ash said.

"Uh, do you guys mind telling us what the heck is going on?" Jamie asked, "Secondly, would you mind getting off our bed? We're not exactly fully dressed here you know."

"Heh, sorry," May apologized.

She picked her brother up off the bed in a motherly tone, while Ash got off the side as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. The two groups continued to stare at each other dumbfounded, as if each were waiting for the other side to say something.

"Uh…" Ash uttered.

"Yeah?" Tana asked.

"Nice lingerie," May complimented, in a lack of anything better to say.

"Yeah, I like it too!" Max said, gawking at their chests which were barely contained in their tops.

His glasses began to fog up until May slapped him on the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Max whined, rubbing his head, "I was just adding to what you said!"

"So help me, Max, if you turn into another Brock when you get older, I'm going to so kill you," May said, crossing her arms.

"Well…um…I guess we'll be on our way?" Ash said stuttering, "C'mon, guys, let's get out of here and head back to our hotel so we can figure out what just happened."

He motioned for May and Max to follow him outside their room. Before exiting the room, Max took one last glance at the two girls in lingerie before May forcefully turned his head around with her hand, and marched him out of the room.

"Sorry about my brother, I apologize," May said nicely, shutting the door behind her.

Tana and Jamie sat in their bed, glancing at each other blankly.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Tana asked.

"Who knows? I'm going back to sleep, it's not the first weird thing that's happened around here," Jamie said, sliding herself back down in the bed.

"I guess you're right," Tana said, lying down next to her friend, "You know, May's little brother is actually kind of cute!"

"May's kinda cute herself," Jamie snickered.

She stretched out her legs until her foot kicked something underneath the covers of the bed. She sat up awkwardly and looked under the covers to see what was under there.

"What's the matter?" Tana asked.

"I think there's a piece of paper or something under here," Jamie said, reaching underneath the covers.

She pulled it out with her hands and showed it to her friend.

"It's an envelope," Jamie said confused, "Why would you stick an envelope under our bed sheets?"

"Hm, I didn't put any envelope in our bed…and doesn't that one look kinda stuffed? There's something inside," Tana said.

Jamie flipped open the top of the envelope, and pulled out several $20 bills wrapped together.

"Whoa, there's money inside of here…a LOT of money!" Jamie said, flabbergasted.

Tana picked some of the bills out of her hand and looked at it carefully. "Wha, I don't understand, where the heck did this come from? This isn't yours, is it?" Tana asked, flipping through the bills.

"No, I have no idea how it got here, but I think we're really lucky!" Jamie squealed.

Jamie took one of the bills and slid it between her curves, giggling in amusement. The two girls cheered together while picking more money out of the envelope. Unbeknownst to them however, a certain four-legged Premium Ball was hanging from the ceiling, watching the scene below and waiting for its time to strike.


	34. Complications galore!

**Chapter 34****  
**

**"Complications galore!"  
**  
May yawned extensively, she was ready to get back to sleep after the hectic situation that occurred 15 minutes earlier. She was standing outside her hotel room with Ash and Max nearby, while Brock was filing a report with Officer Jenny about the stolen money. The group was still in their sleepwear, not having the chance to change into anything else before Officer Jenny arrived. It was now after 1:00am, which was far later than either May or Max had ever stayed up. Their parents had always made them go to bed no later than 10 O'clock, and while traveling around with Ash, they usually went to bed no later than 12pm, unless they were on a huge adventure of some sort.

The wind blew through her locks of hair as she leaned against the railings of the catwalk that was opposite her room. She hoped that Jenny would finish quickly, so she could head back to bed and get some rest. Max was sitting by her side, hugging his knees in a naïve childlike manner. Ash was leaning against the open hotel room door, with one arm raised to lean his head against. He was carefully listening to everything that Brock was telling Officer Jenny in the room, as he wanted to make sure that he got everything down correctly. Brock and Jenny were sitting on the small wooden chairs in the room which was next to a coffee table, where she was rushing to file a report so she could call it a night. Jenny herself was exhausted as she rubbed her eyes, struggling to stay focused on her job.

Brock found himself struggling not to think of Jenny in an alluring manner, especially since it would seem like "cheating" on Tana and or Jamie. The officer was beautiful, long curly blue hair, moist red lips, a cute smile, and a well developed figure. This Officer Jenny wasn't particularly different than any of the other Jennies, but Brock always had his keen way of telling them apart. He concluded that this Jenny was one of the best, especially since her skirt seemed a little tighter on her waist than the other Jennies. He would then struggle with his guilty conscience, telling himself that he shouldn't flirt with Jennies or any other woman anymore now that he has made it with a girl, or rather two girls, of his own. While Brock was sitting next to the table watching the beautiful young officer taking down a report, he found it excruciatingly difficult to adapt to this new situation. This Jenny could bring down the whole house, yet Brock couldn't have a piece of it, excruciating indeed.

When Ash and the others arrived back at their room to see Brock waiting for Jenny to arrive, they agreed with one another not to tell Jenny about the walking Premium Ball. For one thing, Jenny would never believe them. For another, she might think they were nuts or had too much underage booze. Since they didn't want to be branded as drunks or nut jobs, they decided to just tell Jenny about a missing envelope with $300. Since there were not any witnesses or suspects, they had to conclude that someone was breaking into their room while they weren't there. This wasn't entirely true of course, since Ash and May came to the conclusion that the Premium Ball was responsible for the missing money, but they had to say otherwise to Jenny so that this was a convincing story. Besides, it wasn't entirely a lie.

The cold breeze blew through May's hair again as she stretched out her arms behind her back. She was getting kind of cold, especially since she was only wearing her yellow T-shirt and blue spandex shorts with nothing else on underneath. She murmured to herself wondering how long it could take for Jenny to finally write this stuff down and leave, she just wanted to hit the sack again as quickly as possible. The Premium Ball sprouting four metal legs and walking around nearly scared her out of her wits earlier, but now after calming down a bit, she reassured herself that she's seen much stranger and weirder stuff in the world since traveling with Ash, so it was nothing entirely shocking after all.

She watched Ash stand there as the breeze blew his black orange-striped T-shirt into the air a bit. Since he was only wearing his blue boxers underneath, May got a full view of him in his underwear from the back. She giggled immaturely, especially since the wind didn't let up and continued to blow the bottom of his shirt in the air, giving her something nice to focus her eyes on in her boredom.

"Ash has a nice butt," she said, chortling while a slight red tint appeared on her face, "I wonder why I never noticed that before."

Max, who happened to be sitting right next to her, overheard what she said to herself. She wasn't aware that her brother heard her however, which led to an embarrassing moment when he made a comment.

Max raised his glasses on his face and snickered, still sitting on the ground. "I thought you were weird before, but now I'm sure of it," Max said mockingly, "Eeew, why are you commenting on Ash's butt?"

"Huh? You mean you heard me?" May said surprised.

Her blush grew as she nervously glanced from her brother to Ash, and then back to her brother again. How could she have been so careless to say that with her little brother around? He would never let her hear the end of it now.

"Uhuh. I'm sitting right next to you, May," Max replied, "Are you really that bored that you have to talk about Ash's butt?"

"NO!" she said in a flustered manner, waving her arms. "I didn't mean to say that! The words just kind of…"

"Yeah I know, you didn't mean to say it yet your mouth moved and these words came out of it. These words then formed into a sentence, saying, "Ash has a nice butt," but of course you didn't mean to say that right?" Max asked with a convincing grin on his face.

"Of course not!"

"Sometimes I wonder, if I open my mouth and form words, do they become sentences too?" Max pondered, "Hmm, let me try."

May stared at him absentmindedly.

"OK here goes, "My sister just said that she likes Ash's butt, I'm thinking she's either crazy or she really likes Ash!" see?" Max said grinning, "I can form sentences that I don't mean too!"

"Max, let's not get too crazy here," May pleaded, a hint of insecurity in her voice, "You…you can't take everything I say too literally you know."

"Riiiiight," Max mocked.

"Shut it, Max!" May scolded.

"Maybe I should just tell Ash what you just said, he'd probably want to know what you thought of his butt," Max said, standing up.

"You wouldn't dare," May said overbearingly.

"Why so defensive? It's not like Ash will think of you as a weirdo or anything, let me just walk over there…"

"STOP!" May yelled.

She grabbed Max from the top of his shirt and yanked him back down into his seat on the floor. She hovered over him with her hands on her hips with an evil little smile of her own.

"You be a good boy now, Max, or else I'm telling Mom and Dad that you can't travel with us anymore!" May said devilishly.

"No, you can't say that!" Max begged, "If you actually called Mom and Dad and told them that, they'd believe you and make me go back home with them!"

"I know, which is why I'm going to do it as soon as Officer Jenny leaves," May snickered.

"No, don't! I really have a lot of fun traveling with Ash and seeing all kinds of cool Pokemon, I don't want to go back home while you're having fun!" Max pleaded.

"Alright then," she said in a big sisterly tone, "Just promise me that you won't tell Ash what I said about him, and _maybe _I won't tell Mom and Dad that you're misbehaving."

"OK, ok. I promise, May," Max said.

"Say it like you mean it, Max. Or else I'm going to call up Mom and Dad so fast…"

"I MEAN IT! I'M SORRY, MAY!" Max pleaded, "I beg for your forgiveness, big sister!"

"I didn't hear you!" May scolded.

"I'M SORRY! Just please don't send me back home!" Max begged.

May smiled, and stepped a few feet away from her cowering little brother. She winked at him and crossed her arms.

"That's a good boy, Max. See, that wasn't too hard was it?" May asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Max shrugged her off.

Ash was still leaning against the doorway listening to the conversation inside the room, until Pikachu motioned that May and Max were arguing about something. Ash looked at Pikachu on the floor and then back at the two siblings, and it did look like they were having another little quarrel. Ash decided it would probably be best to walk over there and calm them down, as he didn't know how long it would take Jenny to be finished.

May turned around, and saw Ash walking toward her direction. She quickly hovered over Max one last time and reminded him that he better not say anything about this to Ash or else. Max nodded meekly.

"Are you two ok?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, we're fine!" May said energetically, "Right, Max?"

"Yeah, of course," Max responded.

"Pikachu overheard that you two were yelling at each other about something, I just came over here to calm you guys down. I'm glad to see the fighting has stopped before I got here, or else I might have had to step in," Ash grinned.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're good at that, Ash," May winked.

"What were you guys talking about anyway?" he asked.

"Nothing important," May said quickly.

"Nah, she was just talking about your butt, Ash," Max said purposely.

"Oh, that's nice….whoa…..WHAT?!" Ash yelled in shock.

"MAAAAAAAAAXXXX!" May screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her scream echoed throughout the entire catwalks, that a flock of Pidgey flew up from the trees in fear and several people in the opposite rooms turned on their lights and peeked out the doors.

Ash, May and Max looked awkwardly around them as several of their neighbors were looking at them with scornful expressions, especially for waking them up after 1:00am at night.

"What's all that racket about?" an elderly woman yelled from her door, "Someone getting murdered or something?"

"Uh…false alarm?" May said innocently, grinning through her teeth.

"Oh brother," Ash said, hiding his face in his hand.

~*~*~*~*

"You kids sure have a knack for getting into trouble," Officer Jenny said, holding the report under her right arm, "You're the same kids who I broke up a fight with down on the beach with those other people before the surfing competition began, and now you just woke up a bunch of people around the vicinity after 1:30am. Some are even launching complaints to management,"

"Jeez, May, did you have to wake the whole neighborhood up?" Ash asked.

"What neighborhood? We're in a hotel! Besides, it's all Max's fault," May said, crossing her arms in disgust.

Max walked up to Brock and tugged on the bottom of his shirt.

"Brock, is it ok if I stick with you for a while? I'm scared to think of what my sister might do to me if I'm left alone with her," Max said.

Brock looked at a disgruntled May and smiled sincerely at Max.

"Heh, no problem, Max," Brock said, "So, Officer, you'll be bringing this back to the station now right?"

"Sure, and after that I'm going to get some shut-eye myself. You kids should as well, it's awfully late, or rather really early, depending on how you look at it," she said, checking her watch, "Although I'm not sure if you should still stay in the same room if it's being broken into, perhaps you should ask the managers to switch your room with an empty one?"

"It'll be fine," Ash said.

Jenny looked at him oddly "Are you sure about that, young man? You did say you were victimized and lost $300 in cash right?"

"Yeah, but burglars never strike in the same place twice right?" Ash said quickly, trying to make up a comment so Jenny could leave.

"Actually they do, the criminal almost always returns to the scene of the crime," Jenny said, scratching her chin.

"But I thought there was a rule saying that criminals never rob the same place twice!" Ash said confused.

"You're thinking about lightning, Ash," Brock said, chuckling.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu sighed.

"Oh, yeah. I knew that though!" Ash said, smiling.

Officer Jenny nodded and bid them farewell as she walked off quickly back to the station. Ash and the others perhaps pondered why Jenny just took off without pursuing the idea of switching to another room, but it was probably that she was so tired herself and wanted to call it a night. This was no night shift Jenny, that's for sure. Brock watched her backside from behind as she walked off, until May nudged him painfully in the side to stop him from staring. She reminded him that guys shouldn't look at other women if they already have a girl themselves, and Brock said that this would certainly take some getting used to.

The group returned to their room, but all was not well between the siblings. May gave Max an evil glare as he scampered back to his bed. The younger sibling jumped on his bed and quickly pulled the covers over his head, hoping to avoid the wrath of his older sister for the rest of the night. He also feared that she might call up their Mom and Dad and have him sent back to Hoenn, so he hoped that he could remain on what good side she had left so she would reconsider.

May sat on her bed and grunted, she was still upset at her brother. She questioned her relationship with her brother frequently, one minute he could be her darling little brother who would compliment her and praise what a great sister she is, and the next minute he could be an annoying little brat who made her life miserable. May took back the miserable part, but it was still annoying. She thought in her mind how she'd probably just forgive her brother the next day and make up with him, but she still had that lingering point in her mind how upsetting he could be. Granted, Ash didn't seem to care much about the comment after his initial shock, but it was something she was still pretty embarrassed to let him hear. After all, she was still unsure whether Ash was really hers or not. Aside from a kiss on the lips and another on the cheek, the two never officially decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend for that matter. She looked over in Ash's direction and sighed as the boy was already fast asleep holding his Pikachu in his arms. He never said those three magic words that meant so much either.

She thought about it some more as she lie in her bed on her side, while waiting to fall asleep. It was a pretty shocking day in reality, so much had happened. Ash had bought her the Skitty and Torchic bikini that she treasured so much, something that she could probably never repay him for. She also shared her very first kiss with Ash, something that she never experienced before besides in her imagination. She placed her fingers on her lips again as she lie on her side, she recalled how it was such a nice, sweet and gentle kiss. She smiled warmly, she wanted to do that again. She had kissed him on the cheek later in the day, in front of Pikachu no less, but it wasn't the same as kissing him on the lips. She felt the passion in Ash's heart when their lips met, as their breath intertwined and they brushed against one another, slowly, but contently. She loved the feeling, it was almost too insubstantial to be real. She hoped to herself that she would get another chance to kiss Ash tomorrow, because she wanted to share her feelings with him once again, but wasn't sure if he was up to it. Either way, she hoped that she would be able to grow closer to Ash as time went on, one step at a time was good enough.

After her mind switched from the blissful thought of having Ash again, the missing money again registered in her head. Ash had given Max two presents this day, a Premium Ball as well as an envelope with $300...and after a few hours they both went missing. The Premium Ball sprouting legs and walking around was a shock in itself, but she knew that when she spotted the ball purposely looking through her fanny pack, that it _had _to be connected to the missing envelope with the money. The ball certainly seemed to have a mind of its own, it knew what it was searching for and when it got spotted by her or the others, it would purposely try to make a break for it and run away as quickly as possible. The ball also had some sort of teleportation feature, similar to the technique that certain Psychic Pokemon know, and transported her and her friends, oddly enough, into Tana and Jamie's room. Why the ball transported them there was a mind twister in itself, but she was lucky that she didn't get transported down an elevator shaft or in the middle of a volcano or anything crazy like that.

The Premium Ball's current whereabouts were unknown, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to find the missing money until she found the ball. At the very least, she was relieved by the fact that Ash and the others now shared her burden, so she didn't have to search for the ball or the money herself. She was also relieved that Brock was crossed off the suspects list, and she felt somewhat silly for placing the blame on him in the first place. Most of all, she was wondering how Ash felt about the whole thing. He was always good with figuring out a plan, and with Brock's help, she was sure that they'd be able to figure out what was going on and the best course of action to take tomorrow. Right now though, she wanted to fall asleep so she could hurry up and strangle her brother the next morning…

~*~*~*  
Another sunrise, another morning spent doing mundane tasks and getting ready to have a search for the missing Premium Ball.

Ash had just gotten out of the shower, his hair was dripping wet as he dried his head with a towel. He wore the usual before he got fully dressed, the same black T-shirt and boxers, and stared at himself in the mirror. He unlocked the bathroom door and opened it, as Pikachu greeted him by the door. Ash greeted his best buddy as he picked up a toothbrush and started to brush his teeth.

Outside the bathroom, the rest of the gang were fully dressed in their usual clothes, the two siblings trying to avoid each other the whole morning. May always hated the fact that whenever she got mad at her brother, she would always calm down so quickly the next day and end up forgiving him. Fair enough, the comment he made to Ash didn't warrant holding a grudge over, and she did want to forgive him, but she just didn't feel like telling him that. She preferred to avoid him for the time being, not really in the mood to make up with him when more dire predicaments were at hand. Max on the other hand also knew his sister wasn't mad at him anymore, the brainy kid could always decipher his sisters' attitude just by the way she looked and her body language. He also knew that she might get a little irritated if he talked to her, so he too, decided to just stick with Brock and Ash for the time being.

May got impatient waiting for Ash to finish brushing his teeth, and walked over to the open bathroom door. "Ash! Are you almost done brushing your teeth? We have a lot of ground to cover!" she exclaimed, standing in the doorframe.

Ash turned around with his mouth full of bubbles, most of it dripped out of his mouth and onto the floor as he brushed his teeth rigorously. "Al-most do-ne," he said with his mouth filled.

She cocked her head as she noticed something odd about the toothbrush he was using, and then she realized why. That wasn't Ash's toothbrush, it was hers!

"ASH!" she exclaimed, dashing over to him and grabbing the toothbrush out of his mouth.

She grabbed the brush out of his mouth so suddenly that Ash almost had to do a double take to realize what just happened. He then spit the rest of the toothpaste out of his mouth and wiped his saliva with a towel before turning to May.

"This is MY toothbrush!" she exclaimed, holding the brush up to him for him to see, "Did you not see?"

Ash was perplexed, "You're kidding!" He looked back at the counter where the gang usually kept all their toothbrushes in a circular container. Ash's toothbrush was dark blue, while May's was a lighter shade of blue. He gulped as he noticed that he did indeed pick the wrong toothbrush, and was using her brush to brush his teeth instead of his own.

"Erm, sorry?" Ash said smiling, "Must have picked up the wrong toothbrush without looking. Oh well!"

May raised an eyebrow wistfully, knowing that Brock and the others would surely hear her if she said anything with the door open. She instead had this coy look on her face as she walked into the bathroom with him and shut the door behind her. Pikachu, who was standing right outside, was the only one who figured what was coming.

"You should really be more careful when choosing the toothbrushes Ash," she said, placing her brush down in the container, "Of course at this point, it doesn't really matter much, since well…"

Ash watched as she held her hands behind her back and grinned dubiously.

"Erm, since the kiss?" he asked.

She nodded, "That's why I closed the door, I didn't want them to overhear our conversation or anything. I'm…still a little nervous about letting Brock and my brother know what we did together, I'm sure you're not ready to tell them yet either."

"No, of course not!" he blurted out, "I probably wouldn't tell Pikachu either if he didn't already find out…"

"Yea, that was kinda stupid of me to kiss you on the cheek without first realizing who was around us, right?" she said, winking.

"I…guess," Ash said, unsurely.

Brock put his Pokeballs in his pockets as he noticed the bathroom door closed as well as Ash and May nowhere to be found.

"Uh, Max, where are Ash and May?" Brock asked.

"I dunno, wasn't Ash brushing his teeth in the bathroom or something?" Max asked confused.

Pikachu noticed the two starting to get suspicious. It quickly jumped across the four beds and waved its arms shouting numerous expressions.

"PIKACHU, PIKA!" Pikachu exclaimed, trying to divert attention to itself.

In the locked bathroom door, Ash and May were starting to feel a little nervous and shy. It was a closed in quarters, the two were standing in a small bathroom with the door locked behind them. There was no one that could see them but each other. Ash's face grew warm, standing there awkwardly. She stood next to the door, with one hand on the doorknob.

May wasn't quite sure what to do. Their bodies almost seemed like they were inching toward one another, but then they would inch away all the same. They knew they couldn't stay in the bathroom together too long, or else their friends might start to be suspicious of what they were doing. They both had the feeling that they should do _something _instead of just gawking at each other in a bathroom, but they were both too hesitant to make a move.

Ash's eyes twitched as he would look at her shy but hopeful expression and then look away. She was waiting for something, but he was too hesitant to do anything. Her fingers slipped across the doorknob, she was in a daze, fascinated by the boy standing in front of her, yet lacking confidence in making a move. Her heart was thumping, and time was ticking. It was either do, or get out.

Brock started to get curious, as he walked away from Pikachu and headed toward the bathroom. Pikachu nervously knew it had to stop Brock for Ash's sake, and it jumped down from the bed and darted in front of Brock. Max stood nearby, wondering what in the world Pikachu was up to.

_Ash was brushing his teeth, May didn't go in with him and have to instruct him on how to properly brush his teeth did she? _Brock thought to himself.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu shouted, in which it warned Brock not to take another step.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Brock asked.

Pikachu gulped as it spouted little electricity jolts from it's red cheeks, it cocked its head with a naïve smile.

"That doesn't tell us much," Max said, "That does it, out of the way, Brock, I'm going to knock on the door."

"Pika!"

Max brushed past Brock and quickly knocked on the bathroom door twice with his fist. Inside the bathroom, the loud knock on the door startled May so much that she jumped straight into Ash's arms. Ash was in shock too, the loud knock after moments of silence was really jarring to say the least.

After realizing what she did, she raised her head from his arm and looked at Ash lovingly in the eyes. They were holding one another, regaining the feelings of when they held each other on the beach, only this way it was different. This time they were holding each other face to face, rather than a person holding another around from behind. Their chests were pressed against one another, as each could hear the others heart beat pumping quickly after the shock of the loud knock on the door. Coming to the conclusion that they only had a few more seconds alone in the room together, it was either now or never.

She cocked her head slightly to the side, waiting for Ash to come closer. After a moment of hesitation, he moved his face close to hers, their noses rubbing gently against one another. He made the first move. Their mouths broke open, connecting with one another passionately. It was a soft, silent kiss, the only sounds being made were the faint sound of moist lips slipping against one another, and the sound of teeth chattering, in sheer nervousness. Their eyes were closed, taking in the moment of happiness, each holding the boy or girl that they subconsciously always wanted to be with. This was their second kiss together, yet it was just as magical as the first. Perhaps even more exhilarating, because Ash was expecting it this time. Their mouths locked some more, savoring the precious last few seconds they had together before they would have to open the door and face their confused friends. For once, neither wanted it to end.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING IN THERE!" Max shouted.

Ash and May broke away from each other slowly, a tiny bit of saliva fading that connected the two. They looked at each other lovingly, no words needed to be said. Whether they had the courage to say how they felt about each other wasn't important, it's what they did that confirmed it. After some slight nods, both silently agreed to let go of each other and open the door.

Max, Brock and Pikachu stood outside the door as they heard the lock click, and the door slowly opened from the inside. May stood in front smiling, as Ash stood in the background with a content look of glee in his face.

"What in the world were you doing in there, May?" Max asked, completely forgetting that he was still at odds with his sister.

"Showing Ash how to brush his teeth," May said simply, walking past her brother smiling.

_That's not too far from the truth, _Ash thought.

~*~*~*~

The group was split up into two during their search for the Premium Ball. Since May and Max weren't exactly talking to one another yet, and since Ash and May decided it would be a bit too suspicious if they paired up together during the search, the group was split accordingly. Ash and Max searched the lobby areas of the hotel for the ball, while May and Brock searched the boardwalk and the surrounding areas.

Both parties knew full well that finding the Premium Ball wouldn't be easy, and they all had doubts whether they would be able to find it at all. For all they knew, the Premium Ball might not have even been around the area anymore or scampered back into the forest or the Pokemon Center before the beach. Regardless of the near impossibility of having an accurate search for the ball, Ash and May were both determined to find it, since it was the only clue as to where the missing envelope with $300 was. On Ash's part, it was because it was his money that he gave to Max as a gift, and wanted the boy to keep it. For May, it was not only to honor her promise to Ash that she would give the money to Max, but for also her brothers sake and for the fact that she still felt slightly responsible for the whole ordeal, since she was the first one to become aware that the money was gone.

Ash walked around the lobby area of the hotel, while he instructed his Swellow to look from the skies above. Pikachu was roaming the floors trying to pick up the balls scent, if that was even possible. It was a painful, mundane search, but for the sake of Max and his gift, he knew he had to find it. Max on the other hand returned to the spot where they last saw the Premium Ball, the part where they were transported by the ball into Tana and Jamie's room. While it wasn't a sure bet, at least searching for it in the last place they saw it would be a good start.

May and Brock walked across the boardwalk together, brushing past the various people as it was as busy and bustling as it always was. Luckily for May, it wasn't as hot out today as it was the previous days, so she wasn't nearly as uncomfortable in her usual outfit as she was before. The two searched under the picnic tables, inside the stores, next to the bars, and in the rest of the surrounding area. After an hour of searching, it was a no go.

"This is too impossible, Brock," May complained, "I want to find that blasted ball more than anything, but this boardwalk is gigantic and there are so many people around. Plus, let's face it, we don't even know if it's still around here, it could be _anywhere _by now. Those four little legs sure carried the thing fast."

"I know, I severely doubt we'll be able to find the thing the way we're searching," Brock said, "From what little I saw of it yesterday, it vaguely reminded me of something."

"Like what?"

"Not sure, but a walking Pokeball sure seems familiar somehow. I'd like to think a ball forming four metal legs would be unusual, but it really doesn't strike me as all that odd," Brock said, scratching his chin.

"I kind of understand what you mean. I feel really silly now for getting so frightened by it last night, it was nothing to really be afraid of," she said.

"Don't sweat it, I'd be scared out of my mind too if I saw something running around the room at night in the darkness!" Brock chuckled.

"Mm-hmm," May uttered, "I just know I have to find the money for my brother, and that Premium Ball is definitely connected to its disappearance. Ugh, I should have just handed my brother the envelope right away instead of putting it in my fanny pack, that way it might not have gotten lost."

"Ash gave you the money to hold onto though, you're the older sister. $300 in cash is quite a bit for a kid like Max to just be carrying around, it was a good idea for you to hold onto it for him," he said.

"True, at first even I was a bit wary of letting Max have the money. Now though, all I think about is that I just gotta find a way to get it back for him," she said determinedly.

~*~*~*~

In the sky above the entrance to "The Accomodator," Swellow swooped down toward its trainer and hovered across from him.

"You flew above the beach and through the forest next to the Pokemon Center right?" Ash asked, "Spot anything?"

Swellow shook its head, but also muttered something distressingly.

"Oh, right," Ash said thoughtfully, "Sorry Swellow, I can be a big bonehead sometimes."

Swellow landed on the ground next to Ash. He kneeled down on one knee next to his bird and pet its feathers.

"Flying over that scorched forest brought back some bad memories, huh?" Ash said compassionately.

"Swellow, swell," Swellow nodded, uneasily.

"It'll be ok, I promise," he said, scratching Swellow's chin as the bird smiled.

Max approached them as Ash and Swellow shared another bonding moment.

"I didn't see any sign of the ball anywhere, how about you, Ash?" Max asked.

"Swellow and I didn't find anything either," Ash said, standing up. Pikachu then ran toward its trainer after searching the surrounding halls, and shook its head while lowering its ears. "And neither did Pikachu," Ash said sighing.

"Great, I'm about to give up already," Max pouted.

"Don't say that!" Ash yelled suddenly.

Max was taken back after Ash raised his voice. Ash took a deep breath realizing he came on too strong, and began to apologize and explain himself.

"Max, I just want to say I'm terribly sorry," Ash apologized, "I'm sorry for getting you two presents and being careless enough for letting them both get lost. I wanted you to have that Premium Ball to capture your first Pokemon with, and the money was a gift for you to spend on anything you wanted….and now they're both…gone."

Max looked toward the floor in despair, but wanted to let Ash know that it wasn't his fault.

"May got to keep her present, the Skitty and Torchic bikini I bought her because she wanted it so much, and after putting up such a great fight in the Water Pokemon race, she deserved to have something like that," Ash said, "You should have still had your presents too, Max, but now that they're both missing, I feel bad because it's like I didn't get you anything now."

"It's…the thought that counts," Max said, a half smile appearing on his face.

Ash knew that Max was being unbelievably mature about this at his age. He knew that when he was his age, if he got two gifts one day and they were forcefully taken from him and went missing the next, that he would be throwing a fit and be terribly angry and frustrated at the same time. Even though Max wasn't saying anything, he could see the amount of disappointment in his eyes. He really did want to use the Premium Ball when he became a trainer, as well as the money for his various needs, but now he couldn't have either.

Ash grunted, "C'mon, let's go catch up with May and Brock so we can bring each other up to speed. We're not done searching yet, Max, so I promise you you'll get your presents back."

"Thanks," Max said.

~*~*~*~

May sat down on a picnic table, stretching her arms over her legs while hunching over. Brock stood next to her crossing his arms, they were both waiting for Ash and Max to meet up with them.

"BROCK!" a female voice called out.

May and Brock looked up as they saw Tana and Jamie running toward them, both fully dressed in spring attire.

"I think this is the first time I've seen them dress so conservative," May said.

"We _are _on a beach, May," Brock said, "Even you spent your majority of your time here in your swimsuits. I'm sure Tana and Jamie dress like normal people when they're not at the beach too."

"Heehee, maybe I just still have their lingerie fresh in my mind from yesterday," May chortled.

Brock made a face, "Wow, I wish I was transported into their room yesterday too. Too bad I ran to get Officer Jenny, still, it's not like I haven't already seen more."

"Eh?" May questioned.

"Brock, you'll never believe what just happened!" Tana shouted, happily.

The two girls caught their breaths as they sat down on the other side of the picnic table across from May. They were very excited, with huge smiles that stretched across the edge of their faces. May and Brock looked at them curiously, wondering what the commotion was about.

Jamie pushed her long green hair to the side as she reached into her purse and took out an envelope. May's attention immediately shot up once she saw an envelope, but since it was blank and white just like hers, she wasn't sure if it was "the" envelope.

"May, right after you guys left our room, we managed to find this under our bed covers," Tana said excitedly, while her red hair blew gently in the wind.

"Yeah, what is it?" May asked, slightly suspicious.

Jamie opened the top of the envelope and flipped her fingers through several $20 bills inside. May and Brock suddenly looked at one another with gaping expressions, could Tana and Jamie have had the money?

"I don't know how this got there, but we found an envelope with over $300 in it last night!" Jamie squealed, "It's unbelievable, do you think I should use this money to take you out to dinner tonight, Brock? It's the least I could do for you."

"No, that's my money!" May shouted instantaneously.

Tana and Jamie looked at her confused, their expressions falling.

"I…I…lost that envelope yesterday, it was a present from Ash to my brother," May said nervously, noticing that Jamie had a glare in her eyes. She looked up to Brock for support, hoping they'd listen to him too, "Right, Brock?"

"That's right, but I'm wondering how in the world the envelope got out of your fanny pack and into their room?" Brock pondered.

May thought quickly and snapped her fingers, "I know, I _did _see the Premium Ball searching through my fanny pack last night before it took off, I think it was looking for any money that might have been left behind. The ball transported me, Max and Ash into their room last night, and I'm betting earlier in the day the Premium Ball transported that envelope there too! No wonder why the ball was mysteriously out of Max's backpack when we came back to our room in the afternoon."

"It does all add up, the only thing that doesn't is why the ball would transport the money and you guys into Tana and Jamie's room in the first place? How did the ball even knew that we know each other for that matter?" Brock asked.

"Whoa, slow the hell down for a second," Jamie said irritably, "Are you saying a Pokeball was responsible for transporting you and your friends into our room yesterday? And that the envelope with the money was too?"

"Yes, that's right!" May smiled, "I can't believe that after that hour of searching for the ball, we end up finding the envelope anyway! Where the Premium Ball is now doesn't matter, I'm just glad we were able to find the money again. Max is going to be thrilled when I tell him the news, I can't wait!"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid your story is a little hard to swallow," Jamie scoffed, getting up from the table. She packed the money deep into the envelope again and put it back in her purse.

"Excuse me?" May asked.

"I don't buy it," Jamie said bluntly.

"Oh c'mon, Jamie!" Tana said, "May and Brock are telling the truth, you know they wouldn't lie. Besides, their story all adds up because we _saw _them being transported into our room. What do we lack to believe that their money wasn't transported there too?"

"The fact that there's no proof that this money is actually theirs? There's no name on the envelope, it's completely blank," Jamie retorted.

"But, isn't finding an envelope with $300 under our bed sheets kind of odd? I'm sure May's darling little brother will be happy to know that we uh…found the money he was looking for," Tana said.

"Thank you, Tana," May said, happy to see that she was on their side.

"It's three against one, we win Jamie," Brock joked, holding out his hand, "I'm sure you can see our story fits, can I have Max's money back now?"

"I still don't think…" Jamie started.

"Guys!" Ash shouted, running up to them with Max and Pikachu.

"Max, Ash!" May said excitingly, "We found the $300 that was missing!"

"You did?" Max gasped.

"Sure did, Max! And as long as you don't annoy me for the rest of the day, I might let you spend some of it today," May grinned.

"At least you're not still mad at me," Max noted, "I'll take what I can get."

"That's really cool," Ash said, looking at Jamie, "I can't believe you found the money for us, thanks!"

Jamie turned her shoulder coldly to Ash, zippering up her purse and walking away silently. The rest of the group in addition to Tana were stunned by her actions.

"Um, where are you going?" Ash asked naively.

Jamie continued walking, speaking while her back was turned to them. "There was no name on the envelope, no real shred of proof that this is really yours. For all I know you guys could be making it up, and this envelope might have been under the covers from when one of the maids changed the sheets in our room. I'm not a chooser, but as far as I'm concerned, the money belongs to me," Jamie said.

"Oh, knock it off, Jamie!" Tana shouted.

"This is very serious," Brock said sternly, "I don't know why you're acting this way, but the money belongs to my friends, and you _will _give it back to them."

"You would talk to me like that, even after everything we did together?" Jamie asked, stopping in her tracks.

Brock stepped forward with his fists clenched. Ash, Max, May and Tana watched, not sure what to expect.

"If you're going to purposely take money from my friends that you know belongs to them, then I have no choice. If you don't willingly give back the money, I'll have to notify Officer Jenny and say that we found the thief that stole our cash," Brock said.

"Brock, that's kind of mean," Tana said. She got up from her seat and ran in between Brock and her friend.

"Tana, I just want what belongs to us back, there's really no big deal here," Brock said softly, lowering his tone, "I mean look at those three innocent children back there!"

Brock pointed to Ash, May and Max, who were all staring with puzzled expressions. Tana and Jamie looked at their sweet, innocent, child-like faces, as if they were confused about the whole thing and leaving everything in Brock's care.

"I know I'm traveling with a bunch of children, but those three don't deserve to be victimized of such a heinous crime at their age," Brock gasped, as if he were acting in a play.

Ash, May and Max exchanged bewildered glances with one another.

"You think Brock's overreacting a bit?" Max asked.

"Shhhh! Who cares, if he gets our money back it makes no difference!" May said, "Right, Ash?"

Ash looked at the two siblings, "Erm, what does "heinous" mean?"

May and Max sweat dropped as Brock continued his speech.

"In this fair world where envelopes are filled with $300 in cash easy for the picking, does it justify taking such money from such young trustful go-getters?" Brock pleaded.

"This doesn't sound at all like the Brock we made love with yesterday," Tana said to her friend.

"Yeah, where were these poetics yesterday while we were pouncing on him?" Jamie asked.

"I beg thee, fair maidens, the money which is rightfully theirs, to be returned," Brock said, kneeling on one knee before them.

"Works for me," Tana smiled, "Hand him the envelope, Jamie."

"Well…maybe," Jamie said, her hand on the zipper of her purse.

Just then, a bright light began to illuminate the surroundings behind her. The rest of the group noticed the oddity, and looked behind her to see that the Premium Ball on all four metal legs was standing there! It raised itself slightly, as the button in the middle of the ball "eyed" its target, the girl with the envelope in her purse.

"Watch out!" Ash shouted, "It's going to transport you somewhere!"

"Huh?" Jamie gasped, noticing that she couldn't move her legs.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the ball!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu leaped off his shoulder and fired its electric attack at the Premium Ball. Being too preoccupied with Jamie, the ball was struck with a direct hit from Pikachu's electric attack and was shot backward on the ground. The light surrounding Jamie began to fade, and she was able to move her legs again.

"Good thinking, Ash!" May complimented.

Ash, May and Max ran up to Jamie, but stood in caution of the Premium Ball retaliating with an attack of some sort. The ball didn't move however, and remained motionless on its side with the four metal legs hanging out.

"I think you short-circuited it or something," Max said.

"Ugh, this is getting too weird for me!" Jamie pouted, "Fine, you can have your money back, just get this weird walking Pokeball out of my sight!"

She opened her purse and took out the envelope, handing it back to Ash. Ash, Pikachu, May and Max cheered as they had the money back in their possession.

"Better count the bills and make sure it's all there," May suggested.

"I am," Ash replied, flipping through the bills and counting as he went.

"Wow, after all that it only took a walking Pokeball to get Jamie to return the money, go figure," Brock said.

"Don't you feel a little silly trying to keep the money, now?" Tana asked her friend.

"Maybe I am a little stressed for cash," Jamie replied.

"Yep, it's all here!" Ash said happily.

Suddenly, Max noticed the metal legs of the Premium Ball twitching and brought it to the groups attention. Ash slipped the envelope into his pocket for the time being and told Pikachu to be ready, for anything.

In the blink of an eye, the Premium Ball flipped over and got on all four legs again, looking as if it fully recovered from the last electric attack. Knowing that Ash had the money now, it was its new target, rather than Jamie. The ball started running on its legs again, in a erratic fashion so Pikachu's Thunderbolt attacks kept missing it when they were fired.

"It's avoiding the attacks, it's too quick for Pikachu!" May exclaimed.

The ball then quickly lunged off the ground toward a surprised Ash. He staggered backward a bit as the ball used its metal legs to wrap around Ash's arm. He cried in pain as the metal claws started to dig into his skin.

"It's hurting him!" Brock shouted.

"Ugh, it's holding on tight," Ash cried, trying desperately to knock the ball off his arm with his left first, "It won't come off!"

The button in the middle of the ball started to glow again, as the white light began to encompass Ash completely. He was now completely immobilized, unable to even move his mouth to cry out in pain.

"Get off of him dammit!" May yelled.

She wrapped her hands around the ball and tried pulling it off his arm, but she was doing more harm than good. The light began to encompass her too, as well as Max and Pikachu who were standing in the surrounding area. The three humans and the Pokemon were also frozen, the ball was apparently taking them all for a trip.

"This isn't looking good," Tana said, backing away from the ball with Jamie.

"If I just walk up to them I'll be caught under the light as well," Brock said frustrated, "I don't know if I can do anything to stop it."

The hypnotic hum of the glow grew loud, as Pikachu and the trio started to fade into the light with the Premium Ball. Brock picked a rock off the ground and threw it at the ball to try and knock it off, but it was too late. The blinding light zapped across his eyes as his friends no longer stood in front of him. Brock punched a fist into the ground angrily, unable to help his friends before they were zapped away.

"What…what happened to them? Are…are they still alive?" Jamie asked.

"Of course they are!" Brock snapped, "The ball probably transported them somewhere just like it did yesterday. Only now I have no idea where they were sent, so I don't know if I can find and help them or not."

"Could…could they have just been transported back into our room again?" Tana asked.

"Hm, possibly. I'm going to head there and check, that ball sure looked like it was digging into Ash's skin before it took them away, that had to be painful," Brock grunted.

~*~*~*~

The bright light blinding them eventually formed back into a visual. They were still motionless, unable to move thanks to the Premium Ball. Ash stood there squinting with the Premium Ball's legs digging into his skin, while a frantic May was frozen in place trying to pull the ball off his arm. Max and Pikachu were standing nearby, unable to offer themselves as any more assistance to Ash.

A few more seconds went by until the light started to fade, and the group was able to move again. The Premium Ball let go of Ash's arm and jumped to the ground, scampering away quickly and behind the feet of some familiar looking people. Ash slid to the ground and sat while clutching his arm in pain. Too preoccupied with seeing if he was ok, May, Max and Pikachu didn't bother to take a look around at their surroundings.

"Those cuts look deep!" May gasped.

Blood dripped off Ash's arm, but the pain wasn't as overwhelming now that the Premium Ball wasn't squeezing on it anymore. May quickly took her bandana off her head and wrapped it around his arm tightly, hoping to secure the wound.

"Your…bandana is going to get my blood all over it," Ash grunted.

"I don't care, keeping that wound from getting infected is more important," she said, securing the knot.

Ash felt relieved with May coming to his aid, as the girl pressed her hands down on his cuts through the cloth. They exchanged warm smiles, how deeply she cared for him was noted. After watching May take care of Ash, Max looked around the area and came to a startling revelation.

"We're back in Professor Latrommi's laboratory!" Max gasped.

The group looked around in disbelief, but as they saw the various machines and conveyor belts in motion, they knew exactly where they were. It was in the lobby of the lab, right next to all the inventions and mechanical arms pumping away, the Professor's lab without a shadow of a doubt.

"Pikachu, pi?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm ok, Pikachu," Ash grunted, slouching himself up on his knees, "I just wonder what we're doing back here…could the Professor have been the one who activated the Premium Ball to take the money? He was the one who gave the Premium Ball to me in the first place for helping him."

"That could be!" May gasped.

She got up and looked around, and spotted the Professor sitting in a chair against the wall. Only he wasn't sitting for leisure, Latrommi had several ropes tied around his chest and his feet which bound him to the chair. He also had a white handkerchief covering his mouth, preventing him from saying a word.

"Ash, the Professor is tied to a chair!" May exclaimed.

The Professor grunted and rocked in his chair rigorously once he saw Ash and the others, but he wasn't trying to get himself free, he was trying to warn them of the others which stood in the shadows.

"Well look what we have here, that invention of yours sure worked well, Professor," a blue haired male said, his arms crossed in a confident manner.

"Worked like a charm I'll say," his red haired accomplice added, "We have the twerps right where we want them, and the money too! We'll be eating rich the next week for sure!"

"And da best part is that they have Pikachu with them! I'm sure da boss will be happy when we bring him Pikachu as an unexpected present!" a small cat-like Pokemon sneered.

The villainous trio emerged from the shadows with the Premium Ball standing by their side, waiting for its next command. Ash, May, Max and Pikachu gasped as they saw the familiar faces.

"TEAM ROCKET?!" they shouted in unison.


	35. The secret of the Premium Ball

**Chapter 35**

**"****The secret of the Premium Ball****"**

"TEAM ROCKET?!"

May was kneeled down next to Ash, her hand behind his back for support. Her bandana was tied tightly around the cuts on his arm, to sustain the wound. Max was sitting on his legs nearby, with Pikachu next to him. Cowering over them was the sinister Team Rocket, none other then the same trio of villains who Ash had vanquished time and time again. Jessie and James had their backs pressed up against one another, with their arms crossed in a confident and mocking manner. Meowth stood in front of them next to the Premium Ball, which was awaiting orders from its masters. A few feet away, Professor Latrommi struggled to get out of the chair he was tied to, but it was of no use, and his voice was muffled by the white handkerchief covering his mouth.

"Team Rocket? Can't I ever get rid of you three?" Ash snapped.

"Not on your life, kiddo!" James replied.

"What are you three doing here anyway? After being blasted off by the Professor's Tyranitar two weeks ago, I thought you guys would be smart enough to think twice about ever messing with him again!" May yelled.

"Getting sassy are we?" Jessie sneered, "It's time team, I think they forgot who we are."

"Right!" James and Meowth shouted.

Jessie and James stood next to one another, while Meowth jumped on their shoulders. The group watched with confused expressions. Jessie recited her lines first, followed by James, and occasionally Meowth.

"Prepare for trouble from the skies."

"From beyond the stars a nasty surprise."

"An evil as old as our galaxy."

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny."

"Plus dere's me!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"And Meowth are da' names!"

"Anywhere there's peace in the universe."

"Team Rocket..."

"...Will be dere..."

"To make everything worse!"

Team Rocket cheered in their own amusement as they pointed at the stunned children sitting on the ground.

"Ah, it felt good to say the whole thing again. I believe we forgot to do that last time we spotted them," Jessie said.

"I concur, I thought I was getting a bit rusty with some of my lines though," James said.

"Enough blabbering already, let's grab Pikachu while they're still sitting here!" Meowth shouted.

"That's what you think!" Ash snarled, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu jumped in the air toward Team Rocket and readied an electric attack in its cheeks.

"That's what you think," Jessie said.

From behind her back, she took out an oversized and cartoon-looking gun with a giant red hand on the front. She clicked the trigger as the red hand shot toward Pikachu, and before it had anytime to react, the hand grabbed the electric Pokemon easily and retracted it back to Jessie.

"Pika, pikachu!" it yelled, as it fired its Thunderbolt attack.

Unfortunately for Pikachu, the red hand absorbed the electricity and the attack was rendered useless.

"Pikachu's attack didn't work!" Max exclaimed.

"Well duh, if you had any brains you'd realize we come prepared by now," Jessie snickered.

James held a clear case with a light bulb on top of it, which had worked like a charm in the past for containing Pikachu. As James opened the case, Jessie extended the red hand from the gun and dropped Pikachu inside, with James quickly securing it afterward. Pikachu charged up another electric attack inside the clear case, but the only thing it achieved was lighting up the light bulb on the top.

"HAHAHAAHAHAHAHHA!" Team Rocket laughed.

Jessie took the oversized gun and threw it behind her shoulder, with Pikachu secure she was in no further need of it.

"Now that we have Pikachu, there's only one more thing we want from you twerps," James said happily.

"Like what?" May snarled.

"'Da money!" Meowth shouted, jumping toward Ash and grabbing the envelope out of his pants pocket. Neither Ash or May had time to react before Meowth had the envelope with $300 in his grasp.

"Excellent handy work, Meowth, you were always good in a pinch," Jessie complimented.

"Nah, it's all in the wrist," Meowth laughed, handing the envelope to Jessie.

May got up angrily, no way was she letting the money get stolen _twice. _She reached into her fanny pack and called out her most trusted Pokemon.

"COMBUSKEN!" she shouted, throwing the Pokeball in front of her.

The red and orange chicken formed in front of her ready to battle. It had bulky legs which strengthened its kicking attacks as well as its speed, and had long feathered arms with sharp claws on the end. It had three orange feathers on the top of its head which blew in the air. The fire and determination in its eyes could only mean one thing; it was ready to tear Team Rocket a new one.

"Great, she sent out the big ugly chicken again," Meowth frowned.

"If you guys won't give back Pikachu and the money, I'll just have to take them back," May shouted, "Combusken, Fire Spin!"

"Com-busken!" it yelled, forming circular orange flames in its mouth.

"Now for out next secret weapon!" Jessie said with glee, "Premium Ball, wrap your legs around its mouth!"

The Premium Ball nodded, as it leaped from the ground with its four legs extended toward Combuskens mouth. May gasped in fear as the ball snapped itself against Combusken's beak and secured its hold by wrapping its legs around its head. Combusken tried crying out in discomfort but its wails were only faintly heard, as the Premium Ball completely covered its beak, which also prevented it from firing its attack. It desperately tried to pull the ball off its face with its arms, but the thing held on just too tight.

"Alright, we got what we came for now let's blow this joint," Jessie said.

"What about the Premium Ball?" Meowth asked.

"Forget it, it's no big deal. Pikachu alone will make us rich when we hand it to the boss!" Jessie smiled.

"Right!" James and Meowth replied.

The trio began to run away as Pikachu called out for help inside the glass case. With the money in tow and May too concerned about Combusken, Ash knew he had to act fast.

"You're not going anywhere, Team Rocket…Donphan I choose you!" Ash shouted.

He staggered as he stood on his feet, his left arm was very sore from the slash marks. The Pokeball flashed in front of him which turned into his Donphan, a fierce Pokemon with a long thick trunk and white tusks. It was gray and dark in color, snorting heavily and waiting to attack.

"Roll out, let's go!" Ash commanded.

Donphan jumped into a ball, as it rolled itself up into a striking position. Its body allowed it to zoom across surfaces with ease, as it raced toward the villainous Team Rocket.

"It's right behind us, Jess!" James shouted.

"Why didn't you have Seviper use Haze attack so we could escape easily?" Meowth asked.

"Cause I didn't think of it at the time you dimwit!" Jessie yelled.

"Dyaaaooooo!" Donphan roared.

Team Rocket screamed as Donphan rammed into them, sending them into the air flying. The trio somehow managed to crash through the roof of the laboratory, as they were launched nearly 50 feet into the air. Unfortunately for Ash and the gang, Pikachu and the money were blasted off with them. Small piles of debris fell to the ground from the destroyed ceiling, and when the dust cleared there was no trace of the villains around.

"Corphish, smack the ball off with Crabhammer!" Ash commanded.

"Corphish!" Cor-phish screamed.

Combusken stood still to allow Corphish to hit its target easily. Its pincers glowed white and smacked the ball fiercely which nearly split it in two. The legs were no longer strong enough to hold onto Combusken's face, as the entire ball went flying and was slammed into a wall. The ball fell to the ground in pieces, several bits of wiring and circuitry falling beside it. Slight sparks emerged from the damaged ball, but without a shadow of a doubt, the ball was totaled.

"Combusken?" May gasped, clenching her hands to her chest.

Combusken panted as it rested on its knees. Luckily for the Pokemon, the Premium Ball's legs did not dig deeply into its skin like it did to Ash, so there were no serious injuries to its face. The Pokemon got up slowly and thanked Corphish for helping it.

"'Busken," Combusken nodded toward its trainer.

"Thank goodness you're ok, you had me worried there for a second," May said, relieved.

She wrapped her arms around her Pokemon and hugged it tightly. Combusken held May around as well, the bond between this trainer and Pokemon was very, very strong.

"Thank you, Ash, Corphish," May said sincerely, smiling at the two as she let go of her Pokemon.

"Dyaaaooooo!" Donphan said, walking slowly back toward the trio.

"Maybe using Donphan wasn't such a good idea, Ash," Max said, "It blasted off Team Rocket but they still have Pikachu and the money with them!"

The Professor rocked noisily in his chair in order to catch the attention of the group so he could be untied, but the gang seemed to have completely forgot about him.

"Return, you two," Ash said, retracting Corphish and Donphan into their balls.

"You too," May said, returning Combusken to its Pokeball.

"Great, now we're going to have to go looking for them," Ash grunted.

May looked at Ash and her brother, they both looked exhausted. Ash was still holding onto his left arm, rubbing her bandana cloth over the wound. They didn't look to be in a fit position to start chasing after Team Rocket, yet she knew that the further they waited, the further away Team Rocket would get.

"I'm going to go run after them," May said, "I let your money get lost once, Max, but now that I let it get lost twice, I'm pretty annoyed. Not at myself, but at Team Rocket."

"I'll come with you," Ash said, "They have Pikachu too."

The Professor rocked angrily in his chair again, but nobody was even paying attention.

May nodded, she knew there was nothing that would stop Ash from searching for Pikachu. "OK, but I'm getting a head start."

She darted down the hall toward the exit of the lab.

"May, wait for us!" Max shouted, "You don't even know where to start searching!"

"That's ok, we'll meet up somewhere outside, see ya!" May shouted, waving her arm as she exited the lab.

"She's really impatient," Max said.

"No kidding," Ash agreed.

He looked toward the wall at the destroyed Premium Ball. It was cleaved in two, the circuitry really impressed Max however, as the boy was always interested in learning how things worked. He squatted next to the ball and moved his finger around the insides, tinkering with it to see how it was put together.

"This thing is busted good," Max said, "No way is it going to move around again."

"I owe you another present then, Max, how about next time I actually go to the store and _buy _you a real Premium Ball?" Ash smiled.

"Just make sure the new one doesn't have any legs or anything," Max chortled.

"Not a problem," Ash replied.

The Professor rocked angrily in his chair, he could no longer take being ignored. He rocked so suddenly that he yelped in shock as he accidentally tipped over the chair and smacked his face onto the floor. He tried to hold back his manly tears as the pain echoed through his chin, and whimpered weakly behind his handkerchief. The loud noise brought Ash and Max's attention to the Professor, in which they quickly ran over to him and sat him back right side up. Ash tore off the handkerchief and asked him what happened.

The Professor snapped, "This is the second time I've been tied up by those nutcases! And this is also the second time I've been ignored while I was waiting to be untied!"

"With how hectic it was here we nearly forgot about you!" Ash said.

"Like heck you did, now get to it already, untie the ropes, they're giving me an awful rash," Latrommi retorted.

~*~*~*

"So how did this happen, Professor? How'd you get tied up and everything?" Ash asked.

Professor Latrommi stretched his arms as he walked across the room.

"Those three scoundrels busted into my lab the same way they did the first time, and subjected me to the cruelest torture man has ever known," Latrommi said.

"Torture? I didn't know Team Rocket were capable of that," Max said.

"Yes, it was horrible," Latrommi sighed, "They tied me to that chair and asked me to give them my greatest invention so they could use it to capture Pikachu from you kids. They recalled how great the ray gun was that de-aged people but wanted something more sinister. When I refused, the torture was almost unbearable."

"Wha…what exactly did they do?" Ash asked, flabbergasted.

The Professor sniveled, as he covered his eyes with his arm and wailed against the wall. "While I was tied to the chair, they took off my shoes and socks and used a feather to tickle my feet!" he cried, "It was horrible, the most intense tickling torture that you could ever imagine. I tried, and tried to beg them to stop, but they just wouldn't listen!"

"Tickle torture?" Max asked, looking at Ash.

Ash shrugged. "I guess having your feet tickled over and over again by a feather would be unbearable after a while," he said.

"I COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING!" Latrommi shouted, "You don't know what it's like to have your feet tickled and to constantly laugh for hours and hours on end. Those creeps would take turns too, when one of them was too tired to keep tickling my feet, the next one would then walk over and carry on where the last one left off! It just went on and on, I couldn't stand it! **I just couldn't stand it! **"

"Team Rocket sure is persistent. I'm proud of you, Professor, even after all that intense tickling, you never gave into them, did you?" Ash complimented, grinning.

"Are you kidding?" Latrommi snapped, "Of course I gave into them! After hours of having _your _feet tickled, you would give in too! I had no choice, I had to give them one of my inventions for them to use against you kids with. It takes one hell of a man, like me for instance, to go THAT many hours before breaking."

"Wait a minute, if you gave Team Rocket control of one of your inventions, that must have been the Premium Ball, right?" Max asked.

"We're dealing with a real mind here," Latrommi said sarcastically, "Let me know when you get your Ph.D in common sense, kiddo."

Professor Latrommi walked over to the damaged Premium Ball on the floor, and gathered its pieces up together. Ash and Max perhaps expected Latrommi to do something with the broken ball, but instead the Professor simply walked to the nearest trash basket and dumped it all inside.

"Well, so much for the worlds first walking Pokeball," Latrommi said, rubbing his hands, "Funnily enough, I originally had planned to use the Premium Ball to spy on you kids on the beach."

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"Hoho, Ash my boy, you didn't think I just gave you a Premium Ball just for the hell of it did you?" Latrommi laughed.

"You said it was for your gratitude to us for helping to subdue your Tyranitar and for bringing back your stolen ray gun!" Ash exclaimed.

"Perhaps, but you took what I said too seriously. You should never do that, take what I say too seriously. You know, cause I'm almost never serious," Latrommi said, coughing into his arm, "Anyway, when you kids first gave me the news that you were all running down to the beach for some silly surfing competition, I _knew _that I had better keep an eye on you to make sure you weren't goofing off instead. After all, you were supposed to win that contest and bring me back the prize money, but that didn't happen did it?"

"Erm, no," Ash said disappointingly.

"Since that delightful young girl was so wrapped up in winning swimsuits and surfing on the waves at the beach, I knew immediately that you kids might perhaps forget the real reason I allowed you to go there in the first place. It was to bring me back money, not spend time making kissy faces and flirting with one another."

"Kissy faces?" Max said, bewildered.

"Oh brother, you mean the only reason you gave me that Premium Ball in the first place was to _spy _on us on the beach?" Ash asked.

"Everything must be spoon-fed to you it seems," Latrommi rolled his eyes. "Yes, I was in control of the Premium Ball for most of the time you were at the beach, aside from the last few days when those lunatics took control of it. I used it mainly to spy on you to make sure you were getting your job done, but all I saw were raging teenage hormones," he said.

"Oh, you must be talking about Brock, right?" Max chortled.

Latrommi raised an eye brow, and looked at Ash. Ash's face turned a deep red when he realized that the Professor might have watched nearly everything he did with May on the beach, perhaps even that first kiss too.

"They must really leave you in the dark, kid," Latrommi said to Max.

Ash waved his arms nervously to try and change the conversation. "Forget that!" he shouted, "How did you spy on us with the Premium Ball? You mean it was walking around outside of my bag tons of times and we never even saw it?"

"That's right, I was very discreet and careful to make sure you kids never found out about the Premium ball. I knew when the coast was clear and to begin spying, and I knew when to bring the ball back to its proper location so you wouldn't suspect anything. I did it the entire week on the beach, and you never suspected a thing. Of course after that cruel torture from those vile hooligans, I had no choice but to hand over control of the Premium Ball to them. Being the bumbling idiots that they were, they weren't nearly as careful with keeping the ball out of sight as I was," Latrommi said.

"So they were the ones who wanted to steal the money," Max said.

"True, the Premium Ball not only acted as a camera but it stored up all information while you children talked as well. I was able to watch and record every bit of it from my computers here in the lab while operating the ball, and once Team Rocket rewound the tape and discovered that there was money involved, they didn't hesitate to want to steal that too. It's a shame too, if Team Rocket haven't interfered, you children might have never known that you were being spied on by the Premium Ball," Latrommi said.

"Spying on us the entire time, you really must be paranoid or something," Ash said, crossing his arms.

"Ahem," Latrommi coughed. He lowered his voice and spoke softly into his arm, "The Premium Ball also came in handy while the girl was changing into her swimsuits. That was quite a pretty sight, she's well developed for her age…oh...what am I saying…I'm such a pedophile." He turned around and began whimpering to himself.

Ash and Max cringed while looking at one another.

"Ugh, I've wasted enough time here, I really need to go find Pikachu," Ash said.

"Yeah, I'm sure my sister needs your help," Max said.

"I'll be right back!" Ash shouted as he ran toward the door, "Max, call our hotel room on the beach and let Brock know that we're alright and that we were transported to the lab!"

As Ash exited the lab, Max nodded and was ready to make the phone call to Brock. He was still curious about the Premium Ball however, and asked the Professor another question.

"You never explained how that teleportation feature worked, I'm really curious about that," Max said eagerly.

"Hm, that? It's really not important, just something my genius whipped up so I could easily transport the prize money that your friends were supposed to win back to the lab in one-shot. When Ash called on the phone to tell the outcome of the race, I lied and pretended that I didn't know they lost. In fact I was furious for all that lost time wasted, but I eventually calmed myself down after popping some pills. Aside from that, I wanted to also make sure that you kids wouldn't then go spend the prize money on whatever you wanted instead of keeping your promise and returning it to me, as I can never be too careful with you kids," the Professor replied.

"Gee, Ash was right, you really are paranoid," Max scoffed, "We really would have given all the prize money to you right away if Ash and my sister won the race. I think it's really creepy that you were secretly spying on us all that time."

"I'm a troubled soul, you don't need to tell me that," Latrommi smiled.

~*~*~*~

May ran through the field of grass searching intently for Team Rocket. She had already been searching for ten minutes, but she wasn't able to find a sign of Team Rocket or Pikachu anywhere. She knew that Donphan couldn't have possibly blasted them off _that _far away, so they had to still be in the vicinity somewhere. The grass was very high around the back of Latrommi's lab, apparently the guy hasn't cut it since who knows how long.

She brushed some of the weeds away from her waist as she followed the path to the dirt road ahead.

"Hm, that road leads back into that scorched forest again," May sighed, "I'm really getting tired of these familiar surroundings, too many crazy things have happened since we first came here. I'll miss the beach, as well as wearing the bikini that Ash bought me, but I think it's time we started traveling again. Team Rocket…where in the world are you?"

She walked along the dirt road for a few more minutes until she spotted something interesting. There was something glistening in the sunlight on the middle of the road, it was shiny and circular in shape. She bent down and picked it up, it was a bottlecap. Blue in color with several vintage markings on it, it seemed to be old at any rate.

"Hmmm…maybe," she pondered.

"SEVIPER!"

"Wha?" May screamed.

She turned around frantically to see the seven foot long snake launching toward her out of nowhere. Seviper brought back its tail and flung it at the girl, it made contact as she was knocked to the ground by the impact.

"Viiiper," Seviper hissed, disappearing into the woods surrounding her.

May was lying on her side on the dirt road, coughing and brushing away the dirt on her clothes. She grunted as she sat herself up and looked into the woods, which was thick in foliage and all looked identical.

"Seviper? Team Rocket's?" she asked herself, as the pain subsided.

She started walking again, only to hear that same hissing sound from the woods emerging once again. She jumped around quickly ready to expect it this time, but when she faced the direction she heard it from…there was no response. Her eyes wandered carefully, she knew it had to be in the woods somewhere.

"Viiiiiiper!"

"No!" she cried, as Seviper again launched its Poison Tail attack to slam May into the ground.

She skidded along the dirt surface on her side, it was a much harder hit from the snake this time. The whole left side of her clothes was brown from dirt and dust, as she painstakingly tried to sit herself up again.

"Team Rocket!" she screamed, "Why don't you face me in a real battle instead of hiding in the woods like cowards?"

She waited for her response, but heard nothing. She was pissed off now, and readily had her hands on her Pokeballs inside her fannypack, ready to launch a counter attack.

"You guys think you can return Ash's Pikachu and the money now?" May yelled, "Its getting late and I'm pretty tired, we can do this another day. Alright?"

A few seconds passed, there was still no response. The wind blew through the trees, which was the only sound that could be heard around her. She pushed back her locks of hair in the breeze, without her bandana to hold it down, her hair was being blown all over the place.

"Hey, I know," May smiled. She reached into her fanny pack and pulled out the blue bottle cap that she found on the road earlier. "Lookie what I have! It's a blue bottle cap! I bet one of you must have dropped this!"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! MY BLUE VINTAGE BOTTLECAP!" James shrieked from behind the bushes.

May looked surprised as James ran right up to her at an abnormal speed and snatched the bottle cap out of her hands.

"Ah yes, this is mine! It must have fell out of my pocket while we were flying through the air!" James cried happily, with his bottle cap back in his possession.

"Hey, wait a second!" May countered, snatching the bottle cap back from his grasp.

"What are you doing, twerp? The bottle cap is mine!" James demanded.

"No way, I'm not giving this back to you just for free," May said, turning her body coldly to him and holding the bottle cap behind her back, "How about we make a trade?"

"A trade?"

"You give me the money and let Pikachu go, and I'll give you back your bottle cap," May said happily.

"Hm, that does seem like a fair trade," James pondered.

"ARE YOU NUTS!" Jessie yelled, running up beside James with Seviper.

"Yeah, did you fall on your head a little too hard this time, Jimmy? We're not trading Pikachu and 300 smackers for some dinky bottle cap!" Meowth added.

"DINKY? Don't spread your ignorance around, Meowth! That bottle cap has been in my family for three generations, it is like a family heirloom to me!" James retaliated.

"Oh shut it, James. All your silly bottle caps look exactly alike, why don't you find a new hobby, like collecting stamps or learning how to cook for instance," Jessie scoffed.

"You two are just ignorant!" James pouted.

"Look whose talking," Meowth said.

"You two wouldn't know a vintage bottle cap if it slapped you in the face You're just ignorant! Ignorant! Ignorant! Ignorant!" James continued to shout, covering his ears deliriously as Jessie and Meowth spoke.

"We've really lost him this time," Jessie said, rolling her eyes.

"They say ignorance is bliss, and all that jazz," Meowth added.

Throughout all their bickering and commotion, a certain someone managed to sneak her way by without them noticing.

"GAH! Where's Ms. Twerpette?!" Meowth cried.

"Hmmm?" Jessie uttered.

The trio looked around in front of them and May was nowhere to be seen! They frantically looked around in their confusion and bewilderment.

"James, you moron! In all your screaming you let the twerp slip out from right under our noses!" Jessie yelled.

"AAAAAH! And she still has my vintage bottle cap! We have to find her!" James cried.

May quietly walked into the woods close to where Team Rocket appeared from, hoping to find Pikachu or the envelope nearby. She walked a little deeper into the bushes until she saw a blue blob hovering over a glass case.

"Wobbufett…" Wobbufett uttered.

May looked over Wobbufett's shoulder and saw Pikachu in the glass tube. Pikachu cheered when it saw May, and yelled from behind the glass.

"Pikachu pi!" it shouted.

"Pikachu!" May cheered, "Nice to see you're alright!"

She ran toward the glass container until Wobbufett slid in front of her and held out its arms preventing her to pass.

"Woooobufett, Wobba Wobba!" Wobbufett said, shaking his head.

"So you're not going to let me pass, are you?" May asked.

"Wobba, wobba, Wobbufett, Wobba!" it replied, shaking its head erratically.

"That's ok," she said innocently, "I guess I could just have my Combusken appear and beat the snot out of you, but that would be kind of mean of me, wouldn't it?"

"WOBBUFETT?!" it shrieked in fear.

"Yeah, my Combusken sure does pack a mean punch nowadays," May said innocently, rubbing her shoe in the dirt, "I'm sure we could skip pass all that senseless violence though and just let me pass to set Pikachu free!"

"Woooob," Wobbufett sniveled, looking back at Pikachu in the case behind it. It looked back at May, its emotions were conflicting with one another.

May moved her fanny pack to the side of her hip and tapped her fingers on her Pokeballs sticking out on the very top. She grinned devilishly and moved her fingers in slow motion in order to scare Wobbufett out of its wits. The poor Pokemon was sweating heavily as it didn't want to be beaten to a bloody pulp by Combusken, but it knew that Jessie would do more or less the same thing if she found out it disobeyed her anyway!

"WOBBAWOBBA WOBBUFETT!" it cried, shaking its body in nervousness.

"Make your choice…!" May said encouragingly..

"BUFFET!" Wobbufett cried, it could no longer take the intense pressure. It dropped to the ground beside her and let her pass.

"Thanks, Wobbufett. See? We can settle things without violence sometimes too," May giggled.

She walked over to Pikachu and released the locks holding down the glass container. The cover was loose as she tossed it aside, and Pikachu jumped right into her arms.

"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu said happily, snuggling with her body.

"I'm happy to see you too, Pikachu, but…do you happen to know where the money is?" May asked.

"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu pointed, apparently Team Rocket was in possession of the envelope.

"Figures," May said, "Maybe Combusken will get some workout after all."

Pikachu jumped on top of May's head, clinging to her hair the same way it does to Ash. May smiled, so _that's _what it felt like to have Pikachu clinging to your head all day. She walked passed a terrified Wobbufett, who was still cowering on the ground beside her.

"See ya!" May waved, as she ran down the path.

"Wobbufett, wo-bba!" Wobbufett cried, hiding its head in the dirt.

She walked out of the woods and back onto the dirt road, only to see the trio continuing to squabble with one another. James was lying flat on the ground as Jessie was stomping on his back in a rage, while Meowth had his claws ready for an angry release. Poor James always had to take the brunt of their assault, as Jessie and Meowth were working him over real well.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, while falling to her shoulder.

"I dunno, they seem kind of distressed," May said.

"SHE'S BACK!" James squealed.

Jessie and Meowth stopped their assault and turned around to see May and Pikachu standing together. Jolts of electricity were coming out of Pikachu's red cheeks, as it stood on her shoulder in a confident manner. May had her hand on her hip with a confident smile, she wasn't afraid of facing Team Rocket by herself, that's for sure.

"Soooo," Jessie said, crossing her arms, "You managed to free Pikachu, have you? What happened to that worthless blob I told to watch over Pikachu?"

"WOBBA!" Wobbufett yelled distressed, running out from the woods.

It ran passed May and Pikachu only to trip on a rock on the road, and ending up falling into Jessie's arms. The two bounced backward on the floor, with Wobbufett begging for forgiveness in Jessie's arms.

"Wobbufett is real sorry, Jess, that twerp must have confused it!" Meowth said.

"Get off of me already," Jessie yelled, pushing Wobbufett off her body.

"Hey, James!" May called out, "Just hand me the envelope with the money inside, and I'll toss you over your bottle cap."

James reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope with the $300 cash. He looked at it while pondering and then looked back up at May.

"Don't do it!" Jessie snarled, "If you give her back the money for a stinking bottle cap, your life will be a living hell!"

"My life is already a living hell," James replied.

"Bottlecap!" May teased, flashing the blue bottle cap in the sunlight.

James was having a nervous breakdown, and after some ranting and screaming, he quickly came to his senses.

"You know, you're right, Jessie," James said, pushing the envelope back into his pocket. "With that $300 I can probably buy myself a boat load of vintage bottle caps! Not to mention we're likely to beat this girl in a battle, and get back my bottle cap anyway."

"Huh?" May gasped.

"Glad to see you come to your senses, you're lucky I didn't have to beat them through you," Jessie snarled, "Seviper, get ready to battle!"

Seviper hissed as it walked in front of Team Rocket, ready to do battle and defend its comrades.

"I know I'm probably going to regret this," James said to himself, "Cacnea go!"

He threw his Pokeball ahead as it formed into a small cactus Pokemon with green spikes over its arms. It had a yellow crown on the top of its head with tiny black eyes in the center.

_Little does Jessie know that I'm going to work toward getting back my bottle cap at all costs, _James thought.

May knew there was no way out of this, it was time to battle. She was ready to reach into her pocket to pull out a Pokeball when Pikachu suddenly jumped off her shoulder and into the battlefield.

"Pikachu, huh?" May asked.

"Pikachu, pika pika!" Pikachu said encouragingly, waving its arms.

May smiled, "You're going to let me battle with you, huh?" She pushed her Pokeballs back into her fanny pack, and raised her fists in order to command Pikachu, "Ok then, Pikachu lets clear out this mess!" she shouted determinedly.

"Battling with the twerps Pikachu? It's not a good idea to command a Pokemon that isn't your own," Jessie warned.

"That doesn't matter, I think I've watched Ash battle enough with Pikachu by now to know his attacks. Besides, Pikachu trusts me almost as much as Ash, right?" May squealed.

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded.

"Alright then, Pikachu use Quick Attack!" she commanded.

Pikachu quickly gained a boost of speed as it raced toward its opponents. Seviper and Cacnea jumped into the air to avoid the attack, but they were ready to launch a counter strike.

"Cacnea, Pin Missile!" James commanded.

"Use Poison Sting, Seviper!" Jessie added.

Cacnea's arms began to glow as the needles were fired toward the electric Pokemon. Seviper launched several poison darts from its mouth as well, which was also launched toward the Pokemon.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to deflect the attacks!" May commanded.

"PIKA!"

Pikachu charged up its body and released a Thunderbolt attack which disintegrated the projectiles that were fired toward it. As Seviper and Cacnea watched flabbergasted, May knew now was a time to make a move.

"Use, Quick Attack again!" she commanded.

Pikachu leaped off the ground and body slammed itself into Cacnea, launching the small cactus Pokemon straight into Seviper's face. The two Pokemon collided with one another painfully as they fell to the ground. Pikachu stood triumphantly in front of them.

"Wow, using Pikachu in battle is really fun! No wonder why Ash loves to blast Team Rocket off this way," May squealed.

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu yelled out toward May.

"Hmmm? I should launch another Thunderbolt while they're disoriented?" May asked.

"Chu, pika pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"Ok then, use your Thunderbolt now!"

Moments after the attack was unleashed, Seviper and Cacnea were barbecued to a crisp. They were on the ground sizzled and defeated in front of Jessie and James, unable to get up.

"Drat, looks like I'll have to call for backup, Dustox, I choose you!" Jessie shouted.

She threw her Pokeball ahead as the light formed into a moth Pokemon with purple and green patterns on its wings, her Dustox. The Pokemon shouted its name in the sunlight after being cooped up in its ball for so long.

James tapped his foot impatiently, the girl still had his bottle cap in her possession. If they were blasted off again, he knew he might never get his family heirloom back again. He watched the battle unfold as he recalled his Cacnea into its ball. Jessie was making the move, but James waited for the right time to strike.

"PSYBEAM!"

"Duuuuuustox!" Dustox cried.

It fired a multi-colored rainbow beam which struck Pikachu right in the chest. Pikachu wailed in pain as it was launched backward on the ground. Jessie cheered triumphantly, recalling her defeated Seviper as well as Wobbufett into their balls while she praised her Dustox.

"Dustox dear, nice job," Jessie snarled.

"Dustox!" it cheered.

"Pikachu! Pikachu, get up!" May cried.

Pikachu struggled to get to its feet, the impact of the attack was still coursing through its body, but it knew it had to continue to fight. May struggled with herself about what attack she should have Pikachu use next. She knew that since Dustox could fly in the air, it could avoid the electric attacks much easier than Seviper and Cacnea did. She also knew that physical attacks might be a bit of a problem, since Pikachu was hit severely with the last Psybeam.

"Darn it, what would Ash do in a time like this?" May thought, nibbling on her thumb insecurely.

"Hey, Jess," James asked, "Since we're winning now, why don't you grab her fanny pack off her waist? Not only can you steal her Pokemon, but I'll get my bottle cap back too!" James said.

"Sounds good to me, and if we tire Pikachu out, we can grab it too!" Meowth added.

"Fine, but I'd like to work this girl over a tad first. It's a bad idea to go into battle while using Pokemon you don't know how to command. I'll have to teach her a lesson about this," Jessie grinned, "Dustox, another Psybeam please!"

May gasped as she saw the moth forming the multicolored beam in its mouth again. She struggled to come up with a strategy to deflect it, she knew she couldn't risk another direct hit. Her eyes wandered to the trees surrounding them, and she quickly thought of her plan.

"Pikachu, climb your way up the trees overlooking the road, get as high up as you can!" May called out.

"Pikachu!" it yelled, darting to the nearest tree and running up the trunk.

"Oh no you don't, fire the beam, Dustox!" Jessie commanded.

The light burst out of Dustox's mouth and hit the trunk of the tree. Pieces of wood were blasted apart, as the trainers had to cover their eyes from the flying bark, but Pikachu managed to get up the tree unscathed. It quickly inched its way across the tree branch that was overlooking the road, but Dustox flung itself up right next to the branch! Pikachu and May gasped in shock as Dustox had it cornered right on the branch, one wrong move and it was all over.

"Thunderbolt!" May shrieked.

"Dodge it," Jessie retaliated.

Pikachu fired not one, but a numerous blasts of its Thunderbolt attack, all of which missed Dustox as it hovered in the air. Dustox then fired a Poison sting attack at its target, and the small needles connected with Pikachu's skin which knocked it back against the wood of the tree.

"Pikachu!" May cried, "That's it, I've got to use my own Pokemon!"

She reached into her fanny pack to pull out her Pokeballs, until she found someone tugging on the back of her bag. She turned around and gasped as Meowth loosened the straps around her waist, and ran off with her fanny pack in his hand.

"Give that back, Meowth!" May yelled.

"Sorry, I've always wanted to try my hand at being a cat burgler," Meowth sniveled, "Here ya go, James!"

"Excellent work, Meowth," James said, holding her bag in her hand. He searched through her zippers until he found his vintage blue bottle cap, in which he squealed in delight. He dropped her bag to the ground, all that he really wanted was his bottle cap.

"Way to drop her Pokeballs, James," Meowth said sarcastically.

He picked up her fannypack and strapped it around his own waist. The yellow fanny pack clashed with his white fur, but Meowth didn't mind, he considered it sort of trendy. It matched the charm on his head, and that was pretty satisfying. Things were looking awfully grim, as Team Rocket had her Pokeballs and the money, as well as Pikachu on the verge of defeat. Pikachu wadded on the tree branch, coughing from the attacks. Dustox moved in closer, forming another Psybeam in its mouth, as if it were moving in for the kill.

May snapped, "Pikachu, cut the branch with your Iron Tail!"

"Chuuuu," Pikachu grunted.

It used its remaining strength to jump in the air and somersault into a striking position with its tail. It glowed a striking white while it snapped the tree branch in two, causing it to fall down with the branch while the Psybeam attack made contact with the top of the tree instead.

"Now's my chance, Thunderbolt it!" May shouted.

Pikachu released another Thunderbolt attack on an unsuspecting Dustox. Before the moth had a chance to see what was going on, it felt an electric sensation coursing through its body. The Pokemon was then catapulted back onto Team Rocket, which resulted in them sharing the same electric attack. While they were disoriented from the electric shocking, May instructed Pikachu to run over quickly and retrieve her fanny pack as well as the envelope with the money.

"GAAAAH! I hate it when this happens!" Meowth cried during the shock.

Pikachu removed the fanny pack from Meowth's waist, and held it over its shoulder. It then quickly jumped up to reach into James' pocket, where he picked out the envelope with the money inside. With both items retrieved, Pikachu ran back toward May and handed her the possessions.

"You're the greatest, Pikachu," May said happily.

She strapped her fanny pack back around her waist and took the envelope out of Pikachu's mouth. She checked inside the envelope to see all the bills safely inside, and cheered successfully.

"We make quite a team, right, Pikachu?" May asked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"This is not over yet!" Jessie growled as the zapping faded.

A very barbecued Team Rocket stood in a daze, but they apparently had no intentions of retreating yet. Jessie reached back into her pockets for her Pokeballs, and was even thinking about battling with already worn out Pokemon.

"That money is going to pay for our lunches for a week!" Jessie yelled, "I will have it back!"

A figure quickly ran up beside May with a Pokeball in his hand.

"No, I wouldn't count on that," Ash said courageously.

"Ash!" May shrieked, "Took you that long to find me?"

"Nah, I knew you could take care of them by yourself, I'm just here to finish them off!" Ash said, "You're ok, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu, pi!" Pikachu said, happily.

"I've been battling Team Rocket with Pikachu, seems to me like Pikachu is pretty comfortable with me commanding it," May said.

"Is that so? Well, looks like we'll finish this one together then," Ash smiled, putting his Pokeball back on his belt.

Team Rocket glared angrily at the two twerps.

"Jessie, don't you think its time to call it a day?" James begged.

"Forget him, I want that fanny pack back! It looks good around my waist, better than on that twerps anyway!" Meowth shouted.

"I'll beat those two if it's the last thing I do!" Jessie shouted.

Ash and May looked at one another confidently, and then back at Team Rocket.

"Wanna do a Thunderbolt together?" Ash asked.

"Sure thing," May replied.

Ash and May pointed their fingers toward Team Rocket and commanded Pikachu at the same time.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt attack!" Ash and May shouted in unison.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled.

It fired one of its strongest Thunderbolt attacks yet at an overwhelmed Team Rocket. A large explosion erupted in the battlefield as soon as the attack struck, sending the trio in the air. They were history.

"Darn it, we almost had them cornered, Dustox! We almost won this time!" Jessie complained, clutching Dustox in her arms while flying in the air.

"Meh, I just want to find a department store that sells a fanny pack just like that twerpy girl has," Meowth said.

"Oh who cares, at least I got my bottle cap back!" James squealed.

"WE CARE!" Meowth and Jessie shouted.

"I get no respect," James pouted.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" the trio cried as they flew off in the distance.

Pikachu landed back on the ground and ran over to an optimistic Ash and May. Ash held out his arms as Pikachu dove straight into them, the trainer hugged his Pokemon tightly. Pikachu cheered and clung to his usual position on Ash's shoulder. May showed the envelope to him eagerly, all the money was safe and accounted for.

"Thanks a bunch for getting the money back, Max is going to be super-psyched," Ash said, folding the envelope in his hands.

"Hey, I said I would be the one to make up for losing it in the first place," May joked.

Ash and May walked together back to Latrommi's lab, content knowing the fact that everything was under control again.

"You had fun battling with May, Pikachu?" Ash asked his buddy.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"Better watch out, Ash, I think Pikachu is starting to like me better," May teased.

"No way, not in a million years," Ash chortled, "Pikachu and I are best friends forever, he'll always like me the best."

"Chuuu," Pikachu said.

"I dunno about that, Pikachu and I were really in sync!" May said, "Pikachu, you like me don't ya?"

She held out her hand toward Pikachu, encouraging it to jump on her shoulder.

"May is just being silly, don't mind her," Ash boasted, "Pikachu and I cannot be separated."

"Pika pika," Pikachu uttered.

Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and into May's arms.

"Hey, what?!" Ash said, astonished.

May hugged Pikachu compassionately, the Pokemon hugged her around as far as its little paws could reach. She then arched up her shoulder in which Pikachu hopped aboard, and it clung to her right shoulder in the same manner it did with Ash.

"Heehee, what do you think now, Ash?" May asked.

Ash was faced with the smiling faces of Pikachu and May, the two he was closer with than anyone else in the world. They awaited a response but Ash could only laugh, it was incredibly amusing. May and Pikachu shared in with the laughter, as the friends walked back to the lab in harmony.

~*~*~*~*

"And then Tana started acting all irrational and locked herself in her room!" Brock said, frustrated.

"Didn't you tell her that we were only transported by the ball into the lab?" Ash asked.

"I did, but I guess they were spooked out more by the Premium Ball than they originally let on. It wasn't so much that the ball could walk, it was the fact that it transported you guys away right in front of them that did it," Brock said, "Or perhaps it's because Jamie was so indifferent that Tana had to go and reason with her about it."

Ash, May, Max and Brock stretched their legs as they relaxed in the guest room in Latrommi's lab. It was a long time since they were here, but they all felt pretty comfortable, just as much as they were back in the hotel room. Latrommi was sipping a cup of coffee nearby, he was listening to the conversation while leaning against a wall.

"I don't blame them, really," May said, "A Pokeball that can teleport people IS pretty freaky. I think I'd be totally freaked out by that if the ball didn't already scare me half to death last night."

"Yeah, that's something you'd only expect in science fiction, I can't believe it was real," Ash said, slouching on the couch.

Latrommi walked next to Ash and took another sip of his coffee.

"So you can comprehend a ray gun that turns people into infants, yet a walking Pokeball that can teleport people is too hard to swallow?" Latrommi asked.

"Heh, good point," Ash grinned.

"Pikachu, chu pika," Pikachu nodded, relaxing between Ash and May.

"One thing I still don't get, Professor, if you don't mind me asking, is why did the Premium Ball transport us into Tana and Jamie's room in the first place?" May asked.

The Professor nearly choked on his coffee after hearing the question, he started to turn a deep shade of red.

"Well…uh…you see…" Latrommi stammered.

"The Professor was spying on us the whole time on the beach, May, the button in the center of the Premium Ball was really a camera, he could watch everything we do and record it all," Ash said, "He must have watched some of our interactions with Tana and Jamie, so he knew we were friends with them. He also said that Team Rocket was in control of the ball at that point, so they probably sent us there because it transported the envelope to the same place a day before."

May was confused, "Yeah, but…why did Team Rocket transport the money there? What was the point?"

"To get it out of our hands, maybe?" Brock pondered.

"Ahem, if you must know," Latrommi said, "I…uh…suggested that if they needed a good place to store the money away from you kids, that Tana and Jamie's room would be ideal, considering you children would never suspect that they would take the money. It was the least likely place to start searching."

"Why'd you help them?" Max asked.

"I told you, son! They were tickling my feet and I had no choice! I had to tell them a decent hiding place to store the money, or else they would have gone on for another couple of hours!" Latrommi yelled.

"Yeah, too bad that only screwed up my relationship with Tana and Jamie," Brock sighed, "I hope Tana calls me tomorrow, but I don't know now after the way Jamie wanted to keep the money for herself rather than returning it to us. I'm starting to think that having two girls is really overrated. One girl to love and devote your life to is plenty. Just making someone happy and settling down with them, that's all I really want. That's what couples should strive to be, to make each other happy."

Ash and May glanced at one another, blushed quietly, and listened to Brock. Pikachu chuckled until Ash and May quickly put their hands over its mouth in unison.

"Hmmmm," Max pondered, "You say you were watching from the Premium Ball back on your computers here, Professor, was the Premium Ball watching what happened when we were transported to Tana and Jamie's bedroom?"

The Professor chortled nervously again, he was acting pretty awkward about the question. Nevertheless, he tried to put his thoughts into words in the most non-provocative manner possible.

"I…was tied to a chair that entire time, and I was placed to sit in front of the computer monitors to watch what was happening. The Premium Ball hung from the ceiling, giving me a full view of what was going on in the room. Team Rocket was busy snoozing in my quarters, those low lives, but I…got an eyeful of what Tana and Jamie did together that night…" Latrommi said.

"That was when they found the money under their bed sheets…they were in their lingerie," May said, blushing.

Max began to drool, "Yeah, I still have the image in my mind too."

"Max, quiet!" May said, agitated.

"They…had a real celebration once they found $300 in their bedroom. The two girls really went wild that night," Latrommi said. He turned to Brock, and put his hand on his shoulder. Brock looked up at him, as Latrommi snickered. "I envy you, Brock, those girls sure can bring down the house when they get excited. I got an eyeful of it all, it was the best free show of girl on girl action I had ever seen."

"PLEASE, PROFESSOR!" Brock shouted, distressed, "We have children sitting right here!"

Ash, May and Max looked at them with puzzled expressions.

"Oh, quite," Latrommi smiled, moving away from Brock, "Good action though, I even have it recorded."

"Erm, could you give me a copy of the tape if its not too much trouble?" Brock asked, drooling uncontrollably.

"Sure thing," the Professor winked.

_I wonder if they do it differently with each other while I'm not around. _Brock thought, dirty images beginning to surface in his mind.

"You know, I'm starting to think we need a vacation to get away from this vacation," May said.

"Heh, you feel it too? I know you love to travel, May, and we have spent the last two weeks here on this mainland. If you want, we can actually pack our belongings from our hotel room tomorrow and start traveling again," Ash said.

"That would be swell, what do you think, Max?" May asked.

"Sure, why not? I've had as much of this beach as I can take, and you know how much I hate salt water," Max laughed.

"HOLD THE PHONE!" Latrommi stomped his feet angrily, "Do you kids deliberately pretend to have short term memory loss or something? You're supposed to pay me back for my debt, something you kids STILL haven't done, even after two weeks! You're not traveling anywhere until you either pay back every last penny or work for me for a week in harsh child labor!"

Ash, May and Max slouched in their seats with naïve expressions. They all really did forget. Pikachu sighed.

"Hm, we lost the race so we can't give you the prize money as you know," Brock pondered, "And the only money we have is the gift that Ash gave to Max, the $300 that they retrieved from Team Rocket. Since that's a no go as well, I guess we'll just have to work for you for a week?"

"If that's the case, so be it," the Professor grunted.

"He never gives us a break, does he?" Ash laughed.

"Eh, we only have to work for him for one week, how bad can it be? After that we can pack are bags and start heading off again!" May said.

"And in that weeks time, I gotta sort out things with Jamie and Tana," Brock said.

"Don't get too excited," Latrommi grunted, "I'm going to work you to the death for all this lost time. If you thought working for me before was hard, you haven't seen nothing yet."

The group spent some more time discussing their plans for the next week, until they came to the conclusion that they had no other choice but to finally work off their debt for the Professor. Even though he tried not to show it, Latrommi really did grow fond of the kids since their time together, and found himself conflicted over how hard he'd make them work the following week.

Ash and May went over to the sink to take her bandana off of his arm. Her bandana had bloodstains on it, but it was nothing that wouldn't come off in a wash. Ash would need to put a few bandages around his arm for the next few days, until the cuts closed up. At the very least, the two made fun of the situation by commenting how they were always getting so beat up during the time they spent on the mainland.

After Brock and Max left the room, Latrommi remained with Ash, Pikachu and May to deliver one closing comment.

"Ahem, I'm sure you two will take good care of one another from now on," Latrommi said, "You're lucky to have each other."

"Uh, thanks!" May said, nodding, "You know, you're a sweetheart deep down, Professor!"

Latrommi walked toward the door and stood in the doorframe, while turning toward them one more time.

"Yep, you're a lucky guy, Ash, girls like this don't come around too often. And from what I've seen through the camera of the Premium Ball while she was changing, she has quite the body as well, you'll enjoy that when you're older," Latrommi said, winking as he exited the room.

May was shocked, and started to stutter. "Don't tell me…he…he…was watching while I was changing into my swimsuit too? You mean he was gawking behind the computer screen all that time as I stood in the room naked?!" she screamed emotionally.

Ash started to whistle casually, and walked with Pikachu out of the room.

"I take it back, the Professor isn't a sweetheart, he's a creep! What kind of 100+ something year old man spies on a girl while she's changing into a swimsuit!?" May asked emotionally.

She shook her head in embarrassment and plopped herself down in her bed. Professor Latrommi was always full of surprises.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36  
**  
Things change.

Those words were entirely simple, yet put together, they explained _everything. _It was strange, had you asked the boy about love a few years ago, he would have gawked at you with a puzzled expression. If you asked the boy about love _now, _he…would still gawk at you with a puzzled expression. Nonetheless, he was finally beginning to understand it, one small step at a time.

Ash Ketchum was a boy full of vigor and determination, his one goal of achieving greatness was only topped by his altruistic nature toward others. He was a very kind, caring boy, never hesitating to lend a hand to his family, friends or even total strangers. People enjoyed being around him, although he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he was certainly the most endearing. Despite all his courageous attributes and his relative ease to get along with, one thing never managed to enter the equation; love.

Romantic feelings for someone that went beyond friendship were something he never once expected to enter his life. After all, the boy hardly ever thought of the matter unless others had pointed it out to him. Although he had been crushed on by various girls in the past, including one of his best friends that was the leader of the Cerulean Gym, nothing ever amounted from them. The girls would all show some interest toward him that resembled attraction, but he could never quite grasp their intentions. In turn, most of the girls never had their feelings returned. It wasn't that he was being rude, or that he didn't like the girls, it was just that the thought had never crossed his mind. He just wanted to battle with Pokemon and explore many new places, girls to him were the same as boys, just friends. As a result, all the former crushes dissolved. They were a vast assortment of girls as well; a flute playing girl from the Orange Islands, a token fan girl who desperately wanted a date, a Frontier Brain who could read peoples thoughts, a fiery tempered red-head who was one of his best friends, that painfully kept her crush hidden until it was too late, to an actual Pokemon that could transform into a human girl. It was one unrequited love after another, especially heartbreaking for one of them that had traveled with him for so long. Ash never did realize that he may have perhaps broke their hearts, but the girls were able to move on, and so their crushes faded. Maybe becoming a love interest for Ash Ketchum was a lost cause? Perhaps the boy just lived for the adventure and had no interest in relationships. Some of those girls even concluded that he would never understand the concept of love, and that no girl would ever be able to tame him.

Well…they were wrong.

"I like it when we're alone," May whispered, her arms cradling him against her body.

"We don't get that much time to ourselves anymore," Ash whispered back, his hand pushing through her silky brown hair.

"You think the others will come looking for us?" she asked.

"We finished all the work the Professor gave us, so I don't think they will just yet," Ash said softly.

"That's good," May said lovingly, "More time for just me and you, Ash."

It was a serene night, nothing could disturb this perfect evening. Ash was sitting on the grass, leaning his back against the exterior wall of the Professor's lab. His hat and blue sweatshirt were off, they were tossed in a pile on the side. His black T-shirt and sweatpants sufficed, they were what he was comfortable with, or rather, what May was comfortable with. His arms were occupied, a sweet and innocent young girl with long locks of brunette hair rested comfortably against him. His lap was occupied as well, as she sat on top of him while her knees rested on the grass. They were facing one another, with the girl resting her head on his shoulder, and Ash holding her around in his arms.

Her bandana was resting on top of his sweatshirt, it no longer needed to be wrapped around his arm due to the bandages. She was wearing her usual tight red shirt, along with her familiar skirt and shorts. She had her arms wrapped around him as well, she liked the closeness more than anything.

It was a romantic evening, despite the fact that nothing happened. The two didn't share a kiss the entire night, nor did they spend time staring at one another. The only thing they did do was hold each other tightly while sitting on the grass, not once did either attempt to do anything else during their moment of alone time together. Romantic actions toward each other wasn't important, neither had the desire or even capability to muster up another kiss out of the blue. They just wanted the feeling of closeness, something that could only be obtained by relaxing in each others arms. It was more than just attraction toward one another, the two shared a strong bond, and their ability to recognize it with each other is what strengthened their relationship the most. While other couples may have made out or went even further, that was not the case for Ash and May, it was just the feeling of leaning against someone you loved that was enough. Neither wanted any more, nor anything less.

She lifted her head off his shoulder, slowly looking up at the boy she claimed as her own, and rested her forehead against his.

"Only three more days to go, you had fun?" she asked.

"I think I did, it wasn't all that bad, really. I knew the Professor couldn't hold his word and work us to death after everything we did for him. Deep down, Professor Latrommi is a really nice guy, kind of like Prof. Oak," Ash said.

Their foreheads moved apart, as May sat up on his lap and moved her hands to the top of his shoulders. She had rested on him for more than 15 minutes, but they didn't spend much time talking to one another. It was easy to lose track of time, but in the end, they knew they still had a job to do.

May chuckled, "Not a thing like Prof. Oak, Ash, Oak is like a grandpa figure. Latrommi is nice once you get to know him, but he's still very weird and kind of crazy. Although after all the stuff we know about him, I don't think I should be surprised anymore. I still don't like the thought that a creepy old man was watching me change into a bathing suit though, it's too distracting. Now I'm a bit nervous whenever he talks to me, I…I don't like the thought that he's seen me naked."

"I can see what you mean, but…um…you'll…get over it?" Ash asked, slightly puzzled about what to say.

"Get over it? When we start traveling I may not care as much anymore, but it still bothers me. He'll probably remember it for awhile…and it just doesn't sit right. I mean, you still remember it don't you?" she asked, deeply concerned.

"Remember what?"

May smiled. "You're really dense about things, I think that's why I like you."

Ash chuckled. "You mean the fact that I saw you naked first, right?"

"Yea," May said, trailing off after she finished speaking. No matter how hard she tried to wrap her mind around it, it was still embarrassing.

"I…still remember, I thought you were…"

May silenced him by putting her finger on his lips. She shook her head and motioned for him not to finish.

"You don't have to say anything, Ash. I don't think I'm ready to hear it yet," she said softly.

"That's good, because I wasn't ready to say anything yet!" Ash exclaimed.

The grass around them began to shuffle as if something was running toward them, and for good reason, Pikachu came through the grass to greet the young pair. It was very happy to see the two together like this.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu said, waving its arms.

"Oh great," Ash sighed.

"What did it say?" May asked.

"The Professor is looking for us, he must have another pile of work to shove on us," Ash said disappointingly.

"Aw, that's too bad. We probably won't be able to spend another night relaxing together like this for awhile, especially with Brock and my brother around," May said, "But they'll be plenty of time for that in the future anyway. C'mon, Ash, let's get back to work before the Professor thinks we're goofing off."

May got up off his lap and helped the boy to his feet. She picked his sweatshirt and hat off the ground and handed it to him, while she tied her bandana over her hair. Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, as they were ready to head back into the lab for another shift of work.

"I'll make sure Latrommi gives you all the heavy stuff this time, I'm not built for carrying boxes that weigh more than I do!" May said.

"That's very reassuring," Ash said sarcastically, "At this rate I'll be doing half of your workload too."

"Nah, I'm not _that _mean," May giggled, "I'll do my work myself, I know you don't like to be pushed too hard. He tends to give the most work to the person he sees first anyway."

"In that case, ladies first," Ash grinned.

"Ash!" May bantered.

~*~*~*~*

The last 3 days of their work for Professor Latrommi were very taxing, yet rewarding at the same time. Even though it got a bit excessive at times, the group knew that it was a relief to finally have this stress off their backs. It was the only thing on their minds, except for Brock of course, who was still busy making trips down to the beach every so often to make sure Tana and Jamie were still there.

Ever since the Premium Ball incident and Jamie's greed for wanting to keep the money that belonged to his friends, Brock found himself having a harder time getting along with her. When they originally met, Brock saw Jamie as just another one of those "hot girls" that he would never think he could get. Yet now, oddly enough, he just didn't seem as interested. It also became apparent, that she shared the same level of interest. Tana, on the other hand, was more or less caught in the middle. Jamie was her best friend and she didn't want to upset her, yet she was still gunning for Brock at the same time. They were both aware that Brock was only going to be in the area for less than three days before he started traveling with his friends again, so they had only a limited timeframe to make their intentions known now, or else this was going to end when their time on the beach was up.

He explained to Tana that they were no longer staying at the hotel anymore, but that Ash and the others had already packed their belongings from the room and were staying in the guest room in Professor Latrommi's lab again. He also had to spend a good deal of his time working for the Professor and showing good sportsmanship to his friends, he could never let them down and not do his share of the work. Despite the fact that Ash and May were the ones who were responsible for the debt in the first place, Brock still felt that since he was the oldest in the group, he had to be responsible for it as well. Therefore, what little time he had left with Tana was sorely limited. He had wondered if this was just one lucky break, and that he managed to hit it off with two girls, but that it would only last for a limited time frame. If he started traveling with Ash, would he even see these girls ever again?

Tana still felt romantically inclined to him, but she wasn't sure how it would work out. When Brock asked her one day about what her plans were, she replied that she'd like to stay in contact with him, but she wished she had more time with him in person to make a decision. Brock left his options open, especially since Tana rode all the way to the bank with him alone this time, without Jamie. It was certainly easier, not to mention even more desirable, with only one customer at a time. He hoped that wasn't the swan song though, and Tana reassured him that she'd give him her decision the day before he had to leave with his friends.

Max was contemplating over what to spend the $300 on, but his sister told him that he was better off saving it for something he really wanted rather than to waste it along the way on minor stuff. Max knew his sister was right, he was very overwhelmed with the amount of money that Ash had given him in the first place. He was lucky if he got $20 from his parents at his age and was content with that, he never expect to have more than $100 in cash, let alone $300 total. May questioned Ash in private if it was such a good idea to give Max so much money as a present in the first place, but Ash insisted that he keep it. He felt bad enough that the Premium Ball turned rogue and ended up smashed to bits, he didn't want both of his gifts to go down the drain, especially after all the hard work retrieving it after it was stolen. May knew the feeling, especially with the swimsuit he bought her, it was better to have one gift than none at all.

During their final day of work at the lab, the group had to make a decision as to where they were going to go next. Brock was especially jittery that day, since he knew this was the day where he'd discover if Tana would dump him or not. He was so distracted by his love life that he barely focused on getting his side of the work done. Professor Latrommi jokingly suggested an offer to the young man.

"You're worried about your girlfriends, aren't you?" Latrommi asked.

"More like girl_friend," _Brock sighed, "Jamie isn't terribly interested in me anymore, and I'm afraid of what Tana might say now too. Just when things were starting to look up, fate likes to play a little game called "Up yours Brock."

"Heh, I've had my fair share of lovers and heartache in my life…over 20 to be exact, give or take 15 of them," Latrommi shrugged, "It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."

"I hate that saying, it's way too discouraging," Brock moped.

Latrommi could sense Brock's pain. Tana was going to visit the lab in less than ten minutes, and he would have his answer then. It could be either good or bad, and that in itself was unnerving.

"You know what, why don't I help you with your lady problem?" Latrommi suggested, raising his eyebrows repeatedly.

Brock knew what he was up to. "No, I don't think so. I'm not going to use that ray gun of yours again," Brock said defensively, "It didn't even work the last time I used it, I had to run down to the beach to see some women and it was closed! By the time we got there it wore off and it did nothing."

"Are you sure about that?" Latrommi asked, "I could recalculate the ray gun, make the effects last longer than a day this time, also allow you to have a second chance, in more ways than one. Besides, do you think girls like that are going to fall into your lap every day?"

"Forget it, no offense, Professor, but I realize that if I'm ever going to have a successful love life, I'll have to do it myself, no crazy ray gun that makes the chicks dig me is going to cut it anymore," Brock retaliated, "I'll have to decline your generous offer."

"Fair enough, if you don't want to it's your choice," Latrommi said, as he started to walk away, "Just remember what got those girls attracted to you in the first place."

"Huh?"

The front lab doors slid open as Tana entered the lab cheerfully. Brock turned around nervously, surprised to see her so soon. She had on a pair of jeans and a silky green shirt, which combined with he red hair, made her look like a Christmas tree. Brock felt himself sweating terribly as Tana approached him.

"Remember my offer," Latrommi repeated, walking off into his room.

"Hey, Brock," Tana said, a smile on her face, "We need to talk,"

_Damn, this doesn't sound good, _Brock thought.

~*~*~*~*

"That's a GREAT idea! I can't wait to see Mom and Dad again!" May said happily.

"Thanks, sis, I knew you were getting homesick too," Max said.

May flustered in her seat, "Maybe a little bit," she squealed.

"Max, maybe your parents will help you decide what to spend your money on!" Ash said.

"I dunno if that's such a good idea," May pondered, "I think my Mom would get all protective and well… "Momly" about it. She doesn't even let _me _carry around that much money by myself, I very much doubt she'll be ok with my brother having that much money."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Max sulked, slipping in his chair, "I just want to tell Mom and Dad about all the adventures we had since we were last there, I bet you want to show them the swimsuit Ash got for you!"

"Heh, I probably will. I hope Mom has no problems with it, she doesn't want me to wear swimsuits that are too risqué. I'll say that Ash bought it for me, so if she's upset about it, she can yell at him," May teased, sticking out her tongue at Ash.

Ash chortled. Max leaned back in his chair, yawning into his left arm.

"I bet Mom and Dad would love to know about the Pokemon surfing race, especially since you came in 2nd place! Are you going to tell them everything you did on the beach?" Max asked.

May blushed, and calmly shook her head. She was going to tell her Mom a lot of things, but she was too embarrassed of letting her know she shared a kiss with Ash. May was almost always completely honest with her mother about everything, the two were always on the best of terms. Telling her about love was a different story, especially since she kissed the boy twice now. It wasn't that she thought her mother wouldn't approve, after all, both her Mom and Dad really liked Ash and permitted her to travel with him in the first place, but she wasn't quite sure how she'd react if they knew she was becoming romantically involved with him. Worst of all, she'd be afraid of the teasing, especially in front of Max, and she wasn't ready for all that kind of stuff yet.

Ash smiled, he knew what May was thinking just by looking at her. That shy, bashful look on her face oddly enough reminded him of himself. He knew he would be downright embarrassed to tell _his _mother, Delia, that he kissed May twice as well. Delia was also a gossiper, if he told her about May, his mother would rant about it and spread the news throughout the entire town of Pallet. Everyone and their long lost cousin in Pallet Town would know, how frightening.

Ash and May shuddered at the table in unison and got up and walked away. Max was left to sit alone wondering what the heck that was all about.

~*~*~*~

Brock leaned against the wall and sighed. He had to make a big decision, and he wasn't sure if it was going to be for the best. Tana had given him an offer; she wanted to get to know him better and learn everything she could about him that he didn't already share with her during his time on the beach. To do that, he had to spend time with her outside of the beach area. Apparently, Tana and Jamie were only staying at the beach for another few days, and they were getting ready to make a hike inland back to their house in a quiet little town. He wondered if Tana and Jamie really were inseparable, the two even had a house together! He second guessed himself and wondered if it was plausible to continue this relationship(s), but he rationalized it as the only time he ever made it with a girl, and it was best not to pass up this opportunity. Tana was an attractive young woman, passing her up for the sake of her friend would be like a punch in the gut.

Professor Latrommi continued to offer the option of using a modified version of the ray gun to offer him a second chance of having Tana take a fall for him, but Brock refused.

"Listen, I got those girls to fall for me in my own way. I'd rather not screw this up with one of your crazy inventions, uh, no offense, Professor," Brock stuttered.

"None taken," Latrommi replied, "Just be wary that love is a very fickle game."

"Fair enough," Brock said. He looked over in the direction of the guest room, where his friends were getting ready for bed. They were getting ready to take a ferry to Petalburg City, and would be leaving first thing in the morning.

"I'll…have to split with them for the time being then," Brock sighed.

~*~*~*

During the next morning, May and Max were eager to get dressed and pack their bags right away, the siblings were really excited about going home again. May and Max had to rush Ash out of bed in their excitement, but poor Ash wanted to sleep for at least another hour.

"C'mon, Ash," May said, playfully removing the pillow from under his head, "It's time to wake up, sleepy head!"

Max jumped on Ash's bed and pulled the covers off of him. Ash slept there in his pajamas, the removal of his pillow and blanket barely hindered the boy. He turned his head away from the enthusiastic siblings and continued to doze off.

"Pikachu, do you think you can give Ash an electric wake up call?" Max snickered.

"Pikachu," Pikachu chortled, shaking his head.

"Aw, you're not going to make this easy for us are you?" Max sighed, "You know, May, it was probably a bad thing to let Ash sleep in the bed instead of in his sleeping bag last night. Since the Professor only has two beds here, you should have told Ash to sleep in his bag like last time rather than sleeping there yourself."

"I know, but I thought I'd be nice to Ash and let him sleep in the bed this time, since he slept in the sleeping bag the entire first week we stayed at the lab. I also really wanted to try his sleeping bag, it's really cozy," May giggled, "But anyway, I can see what you mean about it being a bad idea, he won't wake up!"

May naughtily thought of various schemes to wake Ash up in the most mischievous manner imaginable. She thought about the age old trick of pouring cold water on a persons face to wake them up, but perhaps Ash needed a bigger "splash." May giggled in amusement as she thought of her plan, but to do that, she had to scoot Max out of the room.

"Max," May motioned, "Could you be a doll and check downstairs if Brock finished his breakfast?"

Max noticed her coy expression and raised an eyebrow, "You never use that vocabulary unless you're up to something, May. What is it _this _time?"

May rolled her eyes, "Everyday it's the same thing with you, just listen, I'll get Ash up, I just want you to go down and see if Brock is ready. I mean, he's traveling with us too, right?"

"Not sure, I think Brock said something about Tana, but uh…"

"Go! Ask him and come back with the news, Ash'll be up by the time you get back," May insisted.

"Alright," Max uttered, "Pikachu, want to come too?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Pikachu scampered out of the room with Max as they ran down the balcony to see Brock. May looked out the doorway with a sly smile on her face, and then shut the door as she walked back toward Ash on the bed. She put her hand on his shoulder to turn him toward her, but the boy still slept naively.

"You're really out cold, Ash. I haven't known you to sleep like this for awhile," May said concerned, "All the hard work this past week must have finally taken its toll, he's completely exhausted."

She watched Ash sleep on the bed, he was snoring softly while his hair was all messed up that gave him an innocent little boy image. It was hard to imagine that Ash was over three years older than her, May sometimes had to act like his _mother. _

She pushed her hand through his jet black hair and rubbed his forehead, he was certainly out of it. She smiled jovially, it was almost a shame to wake him.

"C'mon, Ash, this'll wake you up," she said, pulling Ash off the bed with her hands under his armpits.

A still dormant Ash leaned against her body, as May carried the big lug toward the bathroom. His legs dragged across the floor since he did weigh more than she did, so he was difficult to carry all by herself. She entered the bathroom and flicked on the light, while still letting Ash lean against her.

May teased him by talking into his ear, "This is your last chance to wake up yourself, Ash, or else a girls' gotta do what a girls' gotta do to visit her parents!" she squealed.

Ash still snored in her arms, and May sweat dropped in embarrassment. She inched her way over to the bathtub and pulled apart the curtains. With one arm holding Ash against her, she used her other hand to reach into the bathtub and turn on the showerhead above. Loud pockets of water began to splash down into the tub below, it was the usual pressure that anyone would take a shower in. She tested the temperature of the water with her fingers, and then almost deviously, she lowered the temper and made it very cold.

"Cold water, this'll do. I just hope Ash doesn't kill me after I do this to him," May chortled.

She wanted to stick Ash in the bathtub and let the cold water from the showerhead shock the boy to his senses and wake him up, but there was a slight problem with this plan. If she stuck him in there as is, she would end up getting his clothes all wet in addition to waking him up. He was only wearing his black t-shirt and a pair of boxers, but it was expected that he would wear these same things when they started traveling. After all, the gang really did wear the same clothes every single day anyway.

The question was then raised; should she strip him?

Small pockets of red appeared on her cheeks as she blushed innocently while looking at the floor. She thought about how he saw her nude previously, but she certainly didn't want to do the same thing to him. That embarrassment still managed to stick with her to this day, and she didn't want to inflict the same emotions onto Ash. Aside from not wanting to take off a sleeping boys' clothes without his consent, she was incredibly timid and uneducated about male anatomy. She had never seen the adult male body nude before, and the thought of seeing it had her a bit terrified. It was pretty scary for the young girl, and she didn't want to do that to Ash.

She leaned him forward a tad and stared into his sleeping eyes. "Don't worry, Ash, I'll just take off your shirt then. Better to not let that get wet at least, you'll keep your boxers though."

She pulled his black T-shirt off his body and tossed it aside, as Ash's bare chest felt upon her. His body felt awfully warm, and gave her the same feeling as when he held her on the surfboard on the beach. May blushed and shook her head.

"Ok, enough of this nonsense," May scoffed, annoyed by her own silliness, "I'm just going to dump you in the tub to wake you up, I might as well get this over with before Max comes back. You may think I'm crazy, Ash, but you've left me no choice!"

She looked inside the tub as the water was still spraying from above. She leaned the boy half way into the tub, and picked up his legs to push him inside. Ash was now leaning against the wall in the bathtub, with the showerhead spraying water just a few inches away. The cold water on the bottom of the tub was already going on his feet.

"Jeez, this is probably the craziest idea I ever came up with," May rationalized, "Oh well, here goes nothin'!"

She reached above and turned the showerhead to his direction, as the crystal cold water sprayed on his head. The shock of the cold water woke the boy up instantly, as he nearly jumped out of his skin wondering what the heck was going on.

"WHAT THE!" Ash screamed.

May laughed profusely as Ash struggled to figure out where he was and what was going on. Ash quickly reached for the faucets and turned off the cold water of the showerhead. Droplets of water dripped off his body, his wet hair was plastered down, and his pair of boxers were completely soaked. To say he was agitated would be an understatement.

May couldn't stop laughing, "HA! I'm so sorry, Ash! It was the only way I could think of to wake you up!" she laughed profusely, "Don't take this the wrong way though, it was just something I thought was funny!"

Ash shook his head and rubbed his hand with his face, "Well isn't that something? I really can't believe I slept through all that, I should have realized I was being carried before you put me in here!"

"Tee hee! The look on your face was brilliant! Nice going, Ash," May winked in amusement.

"Hmmmm," Ash snickered.

He looked slyly at the showerhead above, and his eyes scanned the faucets right behind him. May was only standing right outside the tub, she was an easy target. Ash cracked a peculiar smile…would he dare?

May caught whim of Ash's expression, and noticed his hand resting on one of the faucets. She stopped laughing and held her breath.

"You…you wouldn't dare!" May said hesitantly.

Ash took the showerhead down from above and looked at it carefully. It was easy to aim with too.

"Well…you could just tell your parents we came straight from the beach!" Ash said playfully.

"Hey, wait a second!" May yelled, reaching toward the showerhead inside the bathtub.

Ash quickly turned the faucet, and pockets of ice cold water came spraying out! The water sprayed all over May's red shirt before she grabbed a hold of the showerhead, which was still shooting out water everywhere! Ash and May struggled for control of the water, as the two twisted and pulled the showerhead in every which direction. The water sprayed everywhere in the bathroom, getting the floor, walls and mirrors all wet. May stepped inside the bathtub to get a better grip of the situation, but that move only caused her to slip on the wet surface as she fell on her butt in the tub.

Ash lost his grip of the showerhead as it slipped to the bottom of the tub, in which May quickly seized her opportunity to turn the tide in the battle. She grabbed the showerhead and turned it back on Ash, in which the icy cold water shocked his body.

"Don't you think I'm cold enough already?!" Ash yelped.

"My clothes are all wet, you're a little sneak, Ash!" May said emotionally.

Ash and May continued to twist and pull the showerhead cord for domination of the water. In what originally was an attempt at spite work, turned into a flirtatious game of fun for the two kids. May's red outfit, skirt and shorts were completely soaked, as well as Ash's boxers and even his black T-shirt sitting on the side, but the two didn't care anymore. Their clothes were drenched, but now they were having fun splashing each other full of water.

"Maybe I'll wake _you _up like this one day too!" Ash laughed, twisting the showerhead so the water sprayed in her face.

May quickly pushed her wet brown hair out of her face, and grabbed a hold of the showerhead again. She laughed in amusement as the two wrestled with the water for domination. They shared a lot of nervous laughter hoping that nobody would come into the room while they were playing in the bathtub together.

After a few more crazy minutes, the two finally agreed to shut off the water and come back to their senses. The faucets were turned off and the showerhead was placed back in its holder, but the damage was done. May's outfit was completely soaked from top to bottom, everything she was wearing was drenched. Ash's clothes had also seen better days.

May took her bandana off her head and squeezed the water out of it. Ash watched as huge drops of water hit the bottom of the tub. She looked down at her soaked outfit and sighed.

"How are we supposed to explain this to Brock and Max now?" May asked.

"Don't ask me, you're the one who came up with this idea in the first place," Ash said.

"My clothes are all soaked, you don't think they're going to ask questions?" she asked.

"Just say you wanted to take a bath but you forgot to take your clothes off!" Ash suggested.

May looked at him as if he was insane.

"Ok, well, that was not the best of ideas," Ash said bashfully.

"You're lucky you're only wearing your boxers, your blue-hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants are dry. Looks like I'll have to go bake in the sun to get my clothes dry," May said.

She stepped out of the bathtub with her soaked bandana in hand, and looked back at Ash.

"Petalburg City, remember?" May reminded him.

"I know, I'll be ready soon," Ash said, "Just let me take a regular shower, please?"

May laughed as she exited the bathroom, politely shutting the door for him as she walked out. Her clothes stuck to her body and her hair was soaked, she stared at herself in the mirror looking at her appearance.

"I reeeeaaallly need to stop it with these crazy ideas of mine," May chortled, brushing her hair in the mirror.

~*~*~*~

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE?!" Professor Latrommi screamed.

The bathroom was filled with water, and most of the tiles and walls were drenched. He turned around agitated waiting for an explanation, but May continued to nonchalantly brush her hair in the mirror.

"You probably have a few screws loose, Professor," May said, struggling to comb a knot out of her hair, "The bathroom is leaking terribly."

"Yep," Ash said, putting his hat on his head, "I just took a shower and it seems like your pipes are busted or something. Water was leaking out of everywhere."

"Yeah, everywhere!" May added, "Why do you think all my clothes are wet?"

She reached down and squeezed her white skirt, in which more droplets of water fell to the carpet below.

Professor Latrommi moped, "Thank GOD you kids are leaving here today. That is all I have to say, I don't know how your parents deal with you, but you live like a bunch of animals!"

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked, jumping on the bed.

"Brock? What did he say?" May asked.

Max came barging in the room with an urgent message.

"Guys, Brock isn't going to be traveling with us back to Petalburg City," Max panted.

"Huh? Why?" Ash demanded.

"I'll tell you myself," Brock said, entering the room, "I hope it'll only be for a little while, but I'm afraid I can't visit your parents for the time being, sorry you two."

"It's about Tana, right?" May asked, "If so, we…we understand."

Ash grunted, wanting to know the full story.

~*~*~*~

"So there you have it," Brock sighed, "I don't want to let this opportunity pass me by, and I can't be two places at once. I'm going to head back with Tana and Jamie to their house on this island, and I won't be able to head with you to Petalburg City."

"It's a shame, you won't get to taste Mom's cooking again," Max said disappointingly.

"I know, your mother is a really good cook. She even gave me some pointers last time I was there," Brock said, "Don't worry though, if I straighten everything out here, I'll be back with you guys before you know it."

"How…how long do you plan to stay with them?" Ash asked, reluctantly.

"I don't know. It probably won't be very long if Tana and Jamie kick me out of their house," Brock laughed.

"Don't be silly, you'll do fine, Brock. Tana still really likes you, she told me that herself plenty of times," May said encouragingly.

"Thanks, May," Brock said.

"And if you're really lucky, you'll get plenty of action as well," Latrommi snorted.

Brock approached Ash and put his hand on his shoulder. The two friends had parted ways a number of times in the past, and they both understood that they would have to do it again. Each time they always knew they would see each other again, as Brock was one of Ash's oldest friends. Ash nodded and thanked Brock sincerely, and told him to keep in touch via phone numbers and e-mail.

"You know we'll be back in Hoenn, so it'll be pretty easy to find us again," Ash said.

"I'll try to play catch up and see if I'm able to reunite with you guys a few weeks down the road. Any plans after visiting Petalburg City?" Brock asked.

"Hm, no. We haven't thought about anything else, have we, May?" Ash asked.

"No, because we're mostly on a break from our quests at the moment. The Contest Halls won't open again for another few months, so I can't register for any Contests at the moment. Ash already has every Gym badge from every region we've been to, so we don't know what we're going to do yet," May said, "Whatever it is though, you can bet I'll keep traveling with Ash wherever he goes!"

"Heh, I'm sure you would," Ash smiled.

"My my, don't we have a busy schedule?" Max joked.

The group shared some last minute conversations, for they would be splitting up and heading their separate ways in another ten minutes. Brock had all of his belongings in his backpack, and had the note that Tana gave him with the address to her house. He looked at the note and hoped for the best when he arrived there, he really wanted to make this relationship work.

May was still pretty uncomfortable walking around with soaked clothes, but at least she had the satisfaction that Ash's boxers and T-shirt were icy cold too. Max turned on his PokeNav and set it to Petalburg City, his home town. He already plotted the quickest and easiest way to get there, as it would only take about a day to arrive there by one of the ferries at the port.

Professor Latrommi watched the kids chatting and saying goodbye to Brock from afar. The old Professor got teary eyed as the kids were preparing to leave the lab, even though he wouldn't admit it, he really was going to miss them. He took out a handkerchief and blew his nose emotionally when he realized he might perhaps never see these kids again, and he was thankful that he met them in the first place. They may have very well saved his mind from deteriorating by telling him not to use the de-aging ray gun anymore, especially after the incident with his Tyranitar.

"Guys, I hope to see you again real soon!" Brock said, waving his arm as he walked outside the lab.

"Good luck with Tana!" May called out.

"Bye, Brock!" Max shouted.

"Pikachu pikachu pika!"

"Until we meet again, Brock!" Ash said sincerely.

Brock smiled at his friends as he walked off in the distance. He looked at Ash and May standing side by side and realized something.

_I wonder if those two have something going on together that they haven't revealed yet. Heh, either way, I'm sure Max will be there to keep them on their toes, _Brock thought.

~*~*~*~*

"Goodbye, Professor Latrommi, thanks for everything," Ash said.

He shook hands with the Professor, and Latrommi emotionally had to take out his handkerchief and blow his nose right in front of them.

"Oh…don't worry about the bathroom…I'll fix it up myself," he sniffed.

"Even though I still think you're a little nuts, I can tell that you mean well," May said.

"Ah, thanks," Latrommi sniffed, "How's about a big group hug?"

"Wuh?" May said alarmed, backing up a bit.

Professor Latrommi reached out with his arms and grabbed all three kids in his grasp and pressed them against him. Pikachu watched from the floor, laughing as Ash, May and Max were having the life squeezed out of them.

"Don't you think you're laying it on a little thick?" Max gasped.

"A little? Try a lot!" May cried.

Latrommi let go of the children as they stood before him. Pikachu jumped back on Ash's shoulder as they were ready to head off.

"I would go easy with those inventions of yours in the future, Professor, they seem to cause a lot of trouble," Ash said.

"Yes, yes, I've learned a lot from you kids. I better be careful with what I do from now on before I end up killing myself," he laughed.

The group waved goodbye to the Professor, as they headed down the hill back to the port which was nearby the beach. In what perhaps were the most eventful moments of the last couple of months, the group was ready to head onward. Ash, Pikachu, May and Max ran toward the port together as the sun beamed down upon them.

"Next stop, Petalburg City!" May cheered.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37  
**  
May had always loved coming home after a big adventure. She returned to her home in Petalburg City after her initial adventure in Hoenn concluded, as well as in Kanto, and now she was about to return home again. She was really excited about seeing what her parents were up to, as well as seeing her old Pokemon, Beautifly and Skitty again. She got excited thinking about curling into a chair with Skitty in her arms, petting its soft fur while the kitten purred sweetly. She hoped that her Mom was taking good care of Beautifly, but since her mother adored it so much, she didn't have much to worry about. One thing that did worry her, was if she were returning home at the wrong time.

Her father, Norman, has been the Petalburg Gym leader for many years. During those years, the Gym would usually be swamped with challengers, ordinary trainers hoping to win a Gym badge so they could get into the Pokemon league. On busy days, there could be multiple challengers a day, some arriving at even the most awkward hours imaginable. Being a Gym leader and officially endorsed by the Pokemon league, Norman had to officially accept the challenge of all trainers, regardless if he was up to it or not. If he gotten lazy and refused to battle the challengers, they could file complaints to the Pokemon league, which in turn, could get the Gym discounted from the official league.

As much as May admired her father and what he represented, she sometimes hated the fact that she grew up in a Gym leaders home. All those years before she turned ten and became a trainer, she would have to deal with total strangers coming to the Gym each day, taking quality "Daddy" time away from her. Every time she thought she had some free time with her father, his time was required elsewhere. One day after another, it became really taxing. As her father grew more and more famous in Petalburg City, the more and more popular the Gym became. As a result, she was denied quality time with her father, time and time again.

May understood the Gym leader life, and why her father was required to do the things he did, but she sure as hell didn't want any part of it. She would watch her father come into the living room after he finished battling trainers next door, and he always looked so exhausted. Pokemon battles sure did take a lot out of you, especially if his opponents were using high level Pokemon that took a lot of skill and technique to beat. May, as sweetly as she could, would then ask her father to spend some time with her while he wasn't busy. Norman was a very serious man, but he could never resist spending time with his own daughter. The two would play together for as many hours as they could, without a care in the world, until of course, the next dreaded challenger arrived at the door step and he was required elsewhere.

She was saddened by this, because whatever precious time they had together was almost always interrupted. It was like her father had a full time profession, always on the job nearly 24 hours a day. May would sigh and curl up with her mother, at least one parent didn't have such a taxing job that she couldn't spend time with her children.

This was one of the reasons that contributed to May's dislike of Pokemon and Gym battles in the first place. They essentially tore her father away from her, and kept the two from being together as much as they could. She started to resent Gym battles and even Pokemon themselves, for she wished to have a fun, simple life without Pokemon. She saw how time consuming they were, and she didn't want any part of it.

Overtime, thankfully, the Pokemon league issued new rules on how Gyms were managed, and as a result they were more lenient on Gym leaders' attitude toward challengers. Gym leaders could now reject and postpone a challenge for a couple of days, a week even, if they so desired. This delighted May greatly, for now her father wouldn't be swamped with so many combatants hour after hour. It was a great stress relief on Norman as well, for he finally started spending more time with his young daughter and his son.

May loved it, she and her brother played with their father everyday now, and Norman finally started putting his own children over his work again. The next few years of her childhood were joyous in every sense of the word, as the girl started developing a sweet personality to go with her love for her father and the time they spent together. Her dislike for Pokemon and the Gym taking time away from them still lingered in her mind however, and would affect her once she turned ten years old.

Norman, being a Gym leader himself, expected his daughter to become a Pokemon trainer someday. He had also hoped for the day where his daughter would become strong enough to challenge the Gym and beat him in a Pokemon battle, thus earning her a badge from her own Gym. As May was nearing her tenth birthday, both her mother and father were getting very excited about seeing their daughter go out in the world and become an aspiring Pokemon trainer. Little did they know at the time, that May had completely other plans. She didn't want to challenge Gyms and become a trainer, she didn't even want any Pokemon! She knew her parents would be disappointed in her if she didn't start a journey, so she decided to put her dislike of Gyms behind her and cope with having a Pokemon under her control.

Once she turned ten years old, her parents told her to ride her bike to Littleroot Town, where she would receive her first Pokemon from Professor Birch. She did ride down there reluctantly, hoping against all odds that she didn't really have to go through with it. Once she arrived at Littleroot Town, she met Ash Ketchum, a fine looking boy with a Pikachu who sat on his shoulder. After an unusual first meeting with pulling Ash up a cliff with a rope, this led to May's bike being fried, her choice of Torchic as a starter, her accompanying Ash on his journey, and the rest was history!

Since she got her Torchic she put her bias against Pokemon behind her, and in fact started to love them. She still didn't want to challenge Gyms however, they were of no interest to her. Even though it might have seemed sophisticated for a ten year old girl, she thought ahead about what life might have been like if she became a Gym leader herself. She thought about how she might not be able to spend time with her family, her potential kids even, and the thought frightened her. Regardless, she traveled with Ash and her little brother Max, while her parents continued to expect her to take the Gym leader challenge. It wasn't until she met a coordinator named Janet, and witnessed a Pokemon Contest, that she finally decided what she wanted to do in life.

Contests were not only more dazzling and more exciting, they weren't held by Gym leaders either! Contests required you to travel and challenge other trainers, but it was just that, there was no profession with someone having to constantly challenge people on their doorstep. She figured that becoming a coordinator was what she wanted to do, and perhaps training and battling with Pokemon wasn't so bad after all. Still, she wondered if her father was somewhat disappointed in her decision to become a coordinator instead of a trainer. She had never asked him about it, and he had never said anything about it. He wished her only the best in her coordinator career, and watched almost all of her Pokemon Contests on TV, but she still never had a conversation with him about her choice. She wondered if it was because of Max, Norman's son, was the one he was expecting to become a trainer. Max really wanted to get Pokemon and battle with them right away. Perhaps he was expecting Max to take over the Gym and continue the family business after he was willing to retire? Max certainly showed no objection to it, and even stated how cool it would be to become a Gym leader some day. May figured that was the case, and at any rate, she was glad to have a little brother.

The ferry that Ash, May and Max took from Atona Beach to Petalburg City didn't take long at all. It took a day for the ship to sail there, and they had a good time on board as well. There was plenty of entertainment and good food on the ship, so getting bored wasn't even an option. May and her brother couldn't wait to arrive at Petalburg City, its been too long since they were last there. As long as the Gym was empty and there were no challengers there, May would be relieved to spend as much time with her parents as possible.

They arrived in Hoenn relatively early in the morning, and after spending the previous night sleeping on the ship, they were relieved to set their feet on dry land again. Petalburg City had a port near the eastern side, which was even better yet for May and Max. Having the ship land in their hometown was the best of it all, they didn't even have to spend time traveling from city to city to get there. Ash was pretty enthusiastic about arriving at their home too, he wanted to play with the Slakoth and Slaking in the greenhouse again. He had a really fun time with them the last time he was there.

When they arrived at the Gym, May and Max eagerly ran up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Caroline, their mother, greeted them all happily and was surprised to see them. They had called their mother on the ship and told her they would be arriving in a day, but she had no idea they'd be arriving so early in the morning.

Caroline was a very nice woman, a typical mother who was always pleased for the well-being of her children. She wore an orange sleeveless dress with a long brown skirt, with several bracelets on her arm. She had brown hair just like her daughter, but her hair extended into curly zigzags down her face rather than staying straight like May's was. She was womanly of course, an attractive mother who didn't go to hell after bearing two kids like so many other mothers have nowadays. People were able to tell where May got her looks from, she was developing the same womanly appearance of her Mom, which was a good thing to say the least. All in all May's home life was wonderful, her parents were loving and rarely ever fought, and if it weren't for his Gym leader work, Norman would spend even more time with his kids than he used to. Of course since now that May and Max were traveling they didn't see each other all that much anymore, but they always kept in contact with phone calls and e-mails every weekend.

The siblings ran into their house and made themselves right at home. Caroline noticed that only Ash was traveling with her children, and was pleased that the boy was so loyal to keep them out of trouble. She had hoped from day one that traveling with an experienced trainer would help her children to grow and prosper, and after traveling with Ash for a few years, she noticed her children do just that. For that reason, she respected Ash greatly and treated him like one of the family.

"Mom, where are Beautifly and Skitty?" May asked, curiously.

"They should be around here somewhere. Those little critters have missed you a lot," Caroline said.

May turned around when she heard the cries of her Pokemon. Beautfily suddenly came flying through the air from the other room, while Skitty scampered across the floor into May's arms.

"Hey, you two, its been awhile!" May squealed.

She toppled over and sat on the floor after Skitty jumped into her arms. The small pink kitten licked her face as May giggled happily.

"That tickles, stop it, Skitty," May chortled, petting her fur nicely.

"Beauti-fly," Beautfily said, landing on its trainers head.

The large butterfly Pokemon had gorgeous white and yellow wings that sparkled in the air. It was the very first Pokemon that May captured in battle, and she was pleased to see her old friend again. Beautifly rested on the top of May's head just like it used to, while May stood up still clutching Skitty in her arms.

"It's always nice to see your old Pokemon again," Ash nodded, remembering his own Pokemon at Oaks lab.

"May, why don't you let all your Pokemon out so they can run around together?" Max asked.

"Good idea," she said, holding Skitty in one arm while she reached into her fanny pack with her other.

She threw each of her four Pokeballs in front of her, in which the light formed into her familiar Pokemon. Combusken, Munchlax, Squirtle and Eevee appeared before her with happy expressions. May bent down and let Skitty out of her arms, while Beautifly flew overhead to greet her Pokemon.

"They all look like they're getting along great," Ash said.

"Well why shouldn't they? They're all my Pokemon after all," she replied.

Her Pokemon then began to run around the house together. Skitty and Eevee managed to hit it off real well, as Skitty was fascinated by Eevee's tail. Eevee started to playfully wag its tail around as Skitty tried to catch it, but it would always mess up as Eevee would jump away before it could grab it. Squirtle found Beautifly's wings to be very pretty, and the small turtle gazed upon them with a gaping expression. Munchlax began to wander around the house in search of food, while Combusken stood next to its trainer sighing.

"Your Munchlax looks well fed. It seems to be hungry now," Caroline noticed.

"Be careful, Mom. You know Munchlax could eat us out of house and home," May said.

"Munchlax?" Munchlax said, snorting at its trainers' comment.

"I can certainly fix you something, Munchlax, come with me," Caroline said, as she started walking to the kitchen.

Max was getting really impatient as he wanted to see where his father was. Ash pondered if Norman was in the middle of a Gym match using his Pokemon, in which he got really excited at the prospect of seeing his powerful Slaking in battle again.

"Where is Dad anyway? Max finally blurted out.

Caroline picked her head up from the cabinet as she pulled out a frying pan. Munchlax eagerly stood by her side hoping to get a full cooked meal.

"He's on the Gym battlefield, of course! A trainer is challenging your father, he may be done by now though," Caroline said.

"Great," May sighed, "Figures that Dad would be in a Gym match the second we come home."

"Are you kidding? That's great news!" Ash said excitedly, "I hope the match isn't over yet, I want to catch a glimpse of it!"

"I'll come with you!" Max added.

Ash and Max ran off together as fast as they could to the Gym battlefield a few rooms down, both hoping the battle wasn't over yet. Max admired his father more than anyone in the world, and getting to see him battle was a sight to behold.

"Com-busken?" Combusken asked, tugging on May's skirt.

"You're right, Combusken. Ash and Max get turned on by a good battle more than anything else, especially when it's by my Dad," she said.

"Aren't you interested in seeing your father battle?" Caroline asked, while standing over the stove.

"Sure, sure thing! Let me just take off my shoes and my fanny pack, I just want to kick back and relax! Being home again sure does feel good," May said.

"I'll be interested in hearing about how you've been getting along with Ash by the way, he's been a good little boy, hasn't he?" Caroline asked.

May laughed, "He has been, he's very sweet. Just wait until I show you what Ash bought me when we were on the beach!"

May rummaged through her fanny pack and took out her two-piece pink Skitty/Torchic bikini. She ran up and showed it to her while her mother had an admonished look on her face.

_He bought her a bikini?_ Caroline thought, _Boy, they really must be getting close. _

~*~*~*~

Ash and Max ran through the halls which led to the Gym. Ash was running so fast that Pikachu had to hold onto his head tightly or he would fall off. The two skidded down the halls as they approached the battlefield. Ash was ready to step right out in the open and watch the battle from close up but Max tugged on his hood and pulled him behind the corridor.

"What's the matter, Max?" Ash asked.

"If you run right next to the battlefield you might distract my father. He's in the middle of a battle, and he needs the utmost concentration to win it. I want to see how strong my Dad has gotten, but if he sees you he might get distracted and end up losing the match," Max warned.

"Heh, good point. I guess we can watch from this corner, huh?" Ash said, smiling.

"Yeah, and after Dad wins I'm going to run up to him and surprise him with a giant hug!" Max laughed.

"How do you know your Dad is going to win?" Ash asked.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way my Dad is going to lose to some no-name trainer," Max chortled.

The two poked their heads around the corner while they watched the battle silently. Norman was wearing a brown shirt and blue khaki pants, his hair was plastered down on his head. He was giving orders quite intently, his mind was entirely focused on the battle. Kenny, the young assistant that did chores for Norman and Caroline, was standing on the side of the battlefield and refereeing the match. He had a red flag in one hand and a green in another, watching the battle carefully, waiting to decide a winner. He had spiked hair with a youthful childlike face, and wore a kimono that matched well with the Gyms interior.

The opposing trainer was a ruthless looking guy. He had a shaved head and a menacing looking face. He had several chains hanging on his neck, as well as a few earrings in each ear. He was wearing all black, which added to his dark appearance. He had on a long dark vest, with no shirt on underneath. His bare chest flashed out in the open as his chains hanged in front of it. His black pants had a few rips in them, giving him a run down appearance. The man had to be in his early twenties, given his foreboding appearance as well as a tattoo of a naked lady on his right arm.

In the battlefield was Norman's Slaking against the opposing trainers Sableye. Slaking was an 800 pound gorilla that wasn't to be taken lightly, it snorted constantly from its snout and glared at its opponent. It had long massive forearms which it used to run around rapidly, and long burly legs. It beat its chest before it unleashed an attack, one that could very well bring down the house itself.

Sableye resembled a goblin in nature, a small impish Pokemon with jewels for eyes and a creepy smile. It had jagged teeth and a naughty nature that could confuse an opponent with its actions. From what Ash and Max were able to tell, Sableye looked like it had taken a lot of damage in battle. It was panting heavily and looked like it was trying to regain its strength.

Norman smiled confidently and crossed his arms. "Ready to call it a day?" Norman asked rhetorically.

The opposing trainer grunted and flung his chain around his neck. He glared angrily at the Gym leader, for he was not someone that took losing the right way.

"You think I'm just gonna quit don't you? Think I'm going to run off like a coward with my tail between my legs, huh?" the ruthless trainer scoffed.

"I didn't say that exactly, but with the way you battle, you're certainly not going to walk out of here with a Gym badge at any rate," Norman grinned.

The trainer pulled on his vest with much angst, while he eyed the battlefield trying to decide his next move. Slaking was standing still, Norman was apparently letting his opponent move first. Sableye wasn't in the best of a position to attack however, as it was still trying to catch its breath.

Kenny looked upon the trainer and was ready to raise the flag. "Listen, Ross," Kenny warned, "If you don't make another move soon I'll be forced to end this match. By the power invested in me from Norman, I have the right to disqualify you if you don't call an attack soon,"

Ross grinded his teeth. "No, YOU listen, kid! You have no right to disqualify me just because I didn't make a move. It's called using strategy, something I'll need to win. So hold your horses will you, little boy?" Ross snarled.

"You haven't made a move in over five minutes!" Kenny shouted, "Please make one within the next 15 seconds or you're out of here!"

"Pikachu," Pikachu said hesitantly.

"I know, Pikachu. This is getting intense," Ash said.

"Shhhh!" Max said, putting his finger in front of his lips, "Quiet, I don't want Dad to know we're here."

Norman looked through the corner of his eye and noticed the two kids peering from behind the wall however, and grinned confidently. He approved of them watching the match, and was ready to declare a move in his favor.

"10 seconds!" Kenny declared.

"Damn it," Ross said, "Sableye, screw this! Use your Shadow Ball attack!"

Sableye looked back at its trainer with an uncertain expression. Ross pounded his foot on the floor angrily and demanded it to hurry up.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Use the damn attack already!" he snarled.

"Sableye…?" Sableye said, scratching its head.

"Slaking, start charging toward it!" Norman commanded.

Slaking obeyed and started running on all fours toward the small goblin Pokemon. Sableye knew its Shadow Ball attack would have no affect on a Normal type like Slaking, but it had no choice but to obey its trainer. Sableye jumped into the air and formed a dark ball of energy in its hands while it aimed it at the charging gorilla.

"Yes, yes! Fire your attack at that beast and finish it!" Ross shouted excitedly.

"Fool," Norman muttered under his breath.

Sableye released the energy attack from its hands as it shot it toward the gorilla. Slaking continued in a straight charge toward the Pokemon and jumped into the air. Ross' eyes bulged when the ball of energy merely faded upon hitting Slaking's chest. The attack didn't even cause the Pokemon to flinch, it simply disappeared. Slaking roared triumphantly as it was ready to lay the finishing blow to a weary Sableye.

"Now Dad's got him!" Max cheered.

"What the hell happened? Why did my attack do no damage? What the hell is this crap?" Ross yelled angrily.

"All I have to say is this, learn which moves are good against which Pokemon," Norman said simply, "Anyway, Slaking use Faint attack!"

Slaking raised its right arm until its fist glowed an eerie black, and then slammed its fist right down on Sableye's head. Sableye flinched in pain until it came crashing down into the ground.

"DAMN IT!" Ross cried.

Slaking landed back on the battlefield while a fainted Sableye lie defeated in the middle. Ash, Pikachu and Max cheered from the sidelines as Norman was declared the victor.

"This battle is over! Sableye can no longer battle, so the winner is Norman, the Petalburg Gym leader!" Kenny declared, waving the red flag in the air, "The challenger will NOT be awarded a Gym badge. Better luck next time!"

May and Caroline walked up behind Ash and Max to see what was left of the battle. Ash turned around and smiled.

"Too late, the battle is already over!" Ash said.

"Did Dad win?" May asked.

"He sure did, Slaking is even more powerful than I remember it being!" Max said excitedly.

"There's another win for your father," Caroline noted.

Norman recalled Slaking into its ball and turned to his family peering out from behind the wall. Now that the battle was finished, they all ran up toward him and greeted him properly. May hugged her father happily as Norman was pleased to see his daughter again. He ruffled Max's hair playfully with his hand while rubbing May's back contently.

"That was a good match, Norman, I'm glad to have seen at least a little piece of it," Ash said.

"Yeah, we hid behind the wall because we didn't want to distract you," Max said.

"Ah, I knew you two were there all along, you didn't distract me at all," Norman said, playfully nudging Max on the shoulder.

"You did? Aw, shucks," Max blushed.

All was not peaceful in the Gym however, as a furious Ross recalled his defeated Sableye into its ball. His hand nervously squeezed down on the Pokeball as he glared at Norman and his happy family in contempt. He was certainly not happy with the outcome of this battle.

"I think this match was rigged!" Ross cried out.

Norman and the others quickly turned attention to the angry man standing 15 feet away. Norman gently pushed his children aside and walked closer to the man. As the Petalburg Gym leader, it was an insult to say that the match was rigged in his favor.

"The match was fair-play all around, Ross," Norman stated, "Please don't imply something that didn't happen. It's an insult to a Gym leader to hear that his Gym is rigged."

"You think that was an insult, you scumbag?" Ross snarled, "If you think that was an insult, you haven't seen nothing yet."

"Hey!" May said defensively, "Don't dare call my Dad names!"

Ross cackled, and slipped his Pokeball into his pants pocket. He twirled the reflective chain in front of his chest, and rubbed his bald dome with his hand.

"Sorry kiddo, but I think your father is a cheater," Ross said, "There's no way I could have lost that match."

"I disagree completely," Kenny said, "I've been refereeing the match the whole time and I've noticed nothing wrong. I've been working for Norman for five years now, and he would never cheat."

"Face it, Ross," Norman said, "You lost because you weren't using your Sableye's attacks to its full potential. Using Ghost type attacks on a Normal type simply doesn't work. You have to come up with a better strategy if you ever hope to beat my Slaking. Simply train more and improve yourself, and I'll gladly accept a rematch down the road."

Ross glared at the stern Gym leader once more. He was furious at the idea that he couldn't win, and more so, he wasn't about to give up either.

"Heheeheee," Ross laughed, "Don't dare tell me how to raise my own Pokemon. I'd like my goddamn Gym badge now if you please, since this match was obviously rigged."

"Hey, Norman just said that there was nothing wrong with the Gym match," Ash shouted, "I've watched the whole last half of the battle, and he won fair and square!"

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

Caroline stepped forward with an annoyed expression on her face. "If _you _don't mind, I'd like you to step off our property. You lost the Gym match, you're not getting a badge. Now get out of our house," Caroline yelled.

"Wow, I've never seen Mom so angry before," May said, astonished.

"She has every right to be mad, with that guy insulting her husband and all," Kenny said, walking next to Ash and May.

Norman and Caroline walked across the battlefield in front of Ross, who was hunched over with a devilish smile. Ash, May, Max and Kenny watched from afar, not really sure what to expect.

"You're still standing on our property. I thought I told you to get out?" Caroline asked, agitated.

Ross whistled at the attractive lady while eyeing Caroline from top to bottom. He found her quite sexy, and made inappropriate comments in front of her husband and children.

"You have one fine wife here, Norman, she seems to be taking charge of things," Ross said, "Is this how it is in bed too? Caroline says what goes and what doesn't? No wonder you're such a loser, you have to obey your wife's every command in order to get some. What kind of marriage is this?"

Norman clenched a fist as his blood began to boil. He spoke calmly however, as he didn't want to make a scene in front of the kids.

"If my children weren't standing back there, I would have broken your nose," Norman said, angrily, "I'll say it one last time, get the hell off our property. If you don't, I'll call the police and have them escort you off in handcuffs. Of course, by the time they get here you're likely to have some teeth knocked out of your mouth."

"I'd like to see you try, tough guy. I don't think your kids will be very happy when they find their father covered in bruises," Ross threatened.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Caroline added.

"Get out, NOW," Norman yelled.

Ross scoffed at their threats and turned around. He raised his baggy pants back on his hips and ran his hand through his bald dome again.

"If you scumbags won't give me a Gym badge I'll just have to go get one from another Gym," Ross said. He stopped and turned around, and eyed Caroline specifically. "Don't hesitate to call me, sugar. I'd love to knock up a Gym leader's wife."

"GET OUT," Norman repeated, his voice echoing throughout the Gym.

Caroline grinded her teeth and turned around. She stomped her way back to where Ash and the others were standing.

"Heh," Ross cackled, as he exited from the Gym and walked out onto the street.

Norman's rage started to suppress a bit, now that the guy was finally out of the Gym. He turned around to face his children but his face was still all red from anger.

"That guy…he was…" May said, trailing off.

"Just a typical loser from the neighborhood," Norman said, "Sometimes we get dirtbags like that coming in here trying to win a Gym badge. I don't mind battling them, but when they lose they act like arrogant bastards."

"Norman, please! Our children are standing right here, watch your language!" Caroline retaliated.

_She just said the same thing to that Ross guy before, _May thought.

Norman calmed down when he looked at his innocent children. He sighed and agreed with his wife.

"Sorry, I'm still pissed off about what he said about you," Norman said.

"I know, just ignore his inane comments. I'm angry too, but I don't want to show it in front of them," Caroline said.

Kenny could sense the parents tension and figured it was best to escort the kids to another room.

"Hehehhe, do you guys want to head out to the greenhouse? Slakoth and Vigoroth are out there!" Kenny suggested.

"Hm? Sure, I really want to see them too!" Ash said. The thought of Pokemon almost made him forget about the entire incident just before.

"Go with Ash and Kenny," Caroline suggested, looking at her children.

Max agreed easily enough and ran off with Ash and Kenny, but May was more hesitant. She heard all the words that challenger said about her Mom and Dad, and she was kind of scared. She never heard someone say such crude things to her parents before, and it really bothered her. She wasn't quite sure what to say, but her mother reassured her that they would talk about it. May nodded reluctantly, and headed to the greenhouse out back.

Norman and Caroline were left alone in the Gym, as the two sighed in unison. They walked across the empty Gym staring at the floor.

"That isn't the first time that Ross guy challenged the Gym. He's been here six times already, and each time I've soundly defeated him. He really doesn't know how to properly handle his Pokemon, and that's why he loses each time. He never learns from his mistakes either, yet he keeps coming back," Norman said, "I can't believe I let him get away with those comments he made about you."

"Never mind that, I'm proud of you that you didn't make a scene in front of the children," Caroline said reassuringly, "I feel degraded by those comments, but it was best not to do anything too drastic."

"I won't let him challenge the Gym again, if he even dares shows his face here again," Norman noted, "Not after what he said, I was hoping the scumbags like that were driven out of this city."

"Sad to say there are some still lingering that haven't been stepped on yet," Caroline sighed.

Norman put his arm around his wife and held her contently. The two parents embraced each other in silence for a few peaceful moments.

~*~*~*~*

Ash and Max had a blast running around the greenhouse with Slakoth and Vigoroth. There were plenty of trees and branches to swing on, and the Pokemon just loved to twirl from branch to branch. May and Kenny watched the two boys playing, but both of them had something else on their minds.

"Kenny, about my parents…" May started to say.

Kenny was hesitant to talk with her, but figured it would be for the best. The girl was very shaken up, and she looked like she was waiting to be comforted. He took a deep breath and began to console her.

"I wouldn't worry about your parents, May," Kenny said softly.

"No, I know that. It's not that I'm worried about my parents, it's that it bothers me that these are the kind of people that my Dad has to deal with everyday," May sighed.

"Believe me, guys like Ross are a rarity. Most of the people who come to the Gym to win a badge are usually 15 or younger. They're happy-go-lucky trainer kids much like your Ash friend over there," Kenny pointed out.

"Ready…set…go!" Ash shouted.

Ash and Vigoroth made a sprint down a straight line in the greenhouse. Max and Slakoth cheered from the side as the two tried to outrun each other. Ash sped up once he noticed that Vigoroth was beating him, but this only led him into trouble.

"Ash, watch out!" Max yelled.

Ash gasped as he realized he was about to run into a tree. He tried to stop and turn best he could be he ended up smacking himself right into the bark. Vigoroth laughed on the side while Ash fell to the ground, rubbing his face in pain.

"Aargh! That really hurt!" Ash cried, rolling on the floor.

"Vigoroth!" Vigoroth said, beating its chest.

"It was a bad idea to try and outrun Vigoroth, Ash," Max said, "Even though it's not as a fast as Slaking, it can still go pretty darn fast."

"Tell me about it," Ash sighed.

May put on a half smile, watching Ash make a fool of himself was always amusing. She turned to Kenny again to continue the conversation.

"So most of them are around Ash's age or younger, right? I know a lot of kids come to win Gym badges, but I'm worried about the older trainers who come here. That guy looked like he was 20 something didn't he?" May asked.

"I believe Ross is around 20 years old, yes," Kenny said.

"Are they all arrogant SOB's like that?" May asked.

Kenny was taken back by her language, and chortled naively. "Nah, as I said, guys like Ross are a rarity. Most of the trainers coming here are nice, upstanding people. Very few of them ever cause us trouble. What you witnessed tonight is very uncommon, I can assure you," Kenny said.

May sighed in relief. "That's good. I don't like the idea of a bunch of people coming to the Gym each day and insulting my parents," she said, "That's another reason why Gyms bother me somewhat, especially if the Gym is your home. You never know what kind of person the stranger is that comes to challenge you."

"Well you're a coordinator, aren't you?" Kenny asked, "If so, how do you know your competition in Contests are all nice and understanding people? It's pretty much the same thing, you're battling people you don't really know. There are good eggs and bad eggs, luckily most of them are good eggs."

"I…I guess you're right. There is one coordinator I know that hates my guts, he even dresses like a Cacturne. In any case, I know how to handle him so he's not too much trouble to control. Other guys though like Ross may be a different case," she said.

"Heh, as I said, don't worry about it. Norman is a very strong and powerful Gym leader, he won't take crap from anybody. I was actually a bit concerned that he might have went ballistic on Ross today, but he was clearly restraining himself best he could. Makes me wonder what might have happened if you kids weren't here today," Kenny said.

"I see," May nodded, "Thanks, Kenny."

"Hey, May!" Ash called out, running up toward her. "Slakoth hid its bananas somewhere in the greenhouse and it wants us to go find them!"

"Really? I bet I know where that silly monkey stashed them too," May smiled.

"Well then what are you waiting for?" Ash asked. He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him toward the trees, "Point me in the right direction!"

"Heehee, this way, Ash!" May giggled, pulling Ash with her to the other end of the greenhouse.

They ran through the bushes looking for the bananas, when all of a sudden Slakoth jumped down on top of them and started beating them over the head playfully with a tree branch. Slakoth's drool dripped out of its mouth and onto Ash's face, and that certainly was not a pleasant experience. Ash jumped up in shock and tried digging through his pockets looking for a napkin or a washcloth or _something _to wipe the monkey drool off his face.

Kenny watched contently as the kids played with the Pokemon. "Heh, I wouldn't want to work in any other Gym but this one," he said, "Nothing beats the Petalburg Gym."

~*~*~*~*

Max was sulking in his room in the late afternoon, and neither Ash nor May could figure out why. Caroline was holding Max's backpack in her arms while the two asked her what was going on.

"That was very generous of you to give Max $300, Ash," Caroline said, "But honestly, I think it's way too much for him to be carrying around everywhere."

Ash and May knew where the conversation was going from there. Ash pulled on the brim of his hat in disappointment, and eyed the floor as he talked to her.

"Yeah, May told me that you never let them carry around that much money by themselves," Ash said.

"I'm going to be putting the majority of the $300 in the bank for Max, he'll need it when he's older. It is a better idea than spending it on something all at once," Caroline said.

"Are you ok with that, Max?" May asked, curiously.

"I guess, but I'm not really enthralled either. Mom, Ash gave me that money as a present to buy something with!" Max pouted, "I know I should be saving my money but I want to at least use some of it."

"Well that's the point, I said I'm putting the "majority" of your money in the bank, not all of it," Caroline smiled.

She patted Max on the head and slipped him five $20 bills. Max's eyes lit up when he saw the money, and hugged his Mom contently.

Caroline spoke softly while she hugged her son. "$100 should be just about right, the rest of it should be saved," she said, "That's about as much as I'd allow you to carry on your own."

"That's still a lot of money, Max," May said, "Make sure not to lose it!"

"I won't," Max said, relieved, "Thanks, Mom."

"Now then," Caroline said, patting her knees as she stood up from the bed, "We need to make the sleeping arrangements for tonight."

"Sleeping arrangements?" Ash asked, confused.

"We're going to need to find a room for you, Ash," Caroline nodded, "I'm afraid our guest room is being used by Kenny, and I'm not sure how comfortable he'd be with sharing the same bed with you."

"Wuh? You mean I have to sleep in the same bed as Kenny?!" Ash said, startled.

"No, silly, she just said that Kenny probably wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in the same bed with you. I don't think Kenny is into guys anyway," May giggled.

Caroline smirked. "Now let's leave poor Kenny alone, you know how hard he works for us," she chuckled in unison with her daughter, "I suppose I could pull out the bed from the couches and let you sleep in the living room, if that's all right with you."

"It's oka.." Ash said before being interrupted.

May pushed Ash aside gently and pouted in front of her mother. "Why not just let Ash sleep in my room? It's not too much a hassle for me, really!" she pouted.

Caroline replied hesitantly, "Well…I don't know if…"

"Please, Mom, Ash and I are used to sleeping in close quarters. We do it all the time when we're in our sleeping bags or in the hotels," May said.

"He can sleep in my room too!" Max suggested, happily.

May gave her brother an evil glare, she knew her mother would be much more comfortable with Ash sleeping in her brother's room than her own. Max caught an eyeful of May's menacing gaze and sulked down on the bed.

"Are…are you sure you want Ash sleeping in your room?" Caroline continued, still uneasy with the idea.

"Of course! Otherwise I wouldn't be begging you!" May laughed.

"Gee, I didn't realize this was such a big debate," Ash said, scratching his head.

Caroline crossed her arms and sighed. "Well I don't think I can win this battle, so if you say so, I'll let Ash sleep in your room," she said.

"YES!" May squealed.

"Pika, pikachu?" Pikachu asked.

"Oh yeah, and Pikachu is welcome to sleep with us too!" May grinned.

Caroline was still uneasy with the idea of letting a boy sleep in May's room, but nevertheless, she knew Ash well and he's been a good friend to her children for a while now. What surprised her more was with how pushy May was to get Ash to sleep with her, she certainly seemed more enthusiastic about it than Max was. Caroline shrugged off her suspicions, but the fact that Ash bought May a bikini and that she wanted him to sleep with him in her bedroom gave her a slight concern.

"Where is your room again, May, anyway? Is it down the hall somewhere, I don't really remember," Ash said.

"Just walk out of Max's room and head to the right, my room is right there. Go check it out yourself," May said.

Ash nodded and ran out of the room with Pikachu. Caroline turned to May and told her to be on her best behavior. May wasn't quite sure what her mother meant, as going to sleep didn't really require behaving, yet she agreed anyway. May started following Ash out of the room but turned to tell her mother one more thing.

"Oh, and Mom? Make sure to remind Dad that Ash wants to battle him tomorrow, he forgets easily," May said.

"I'll remember to remind your father," Caroline noted.

"I can't wait to see Dad and Ash battle tomorrow either," Max said eagerly, "Ash must have gotten so excited watching Slaking beat that Sableye that he wants to battle my Dad again himself. He beat Slaking with Grovyle last time when he won the badge here, I wonder what Pokemon he'll use for their practice match tomorrow?"

"Whatever it is, Max, I'm sure it'll be thrilling," May winked.

"It'll also be a nice contrast to what we had to witness today at the Gym," Caroline sighed.

~*~*~*~*

Ash had his hands on his hips while he was eyeing down May's bedroom. Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder, peering around the room. Her bedroom really wasn't anything special, just the typical closets, bathroom, a small desk and computer, as well as a TV and a bunch of dressers. No difference really from the hotel room they were staying in at Atona Beach, aside from of course, the fact that there were four beds there and in May's room…there was only one.

"Only one bed?" Ash asked, "Why did May want me to sleep in here then? There's nowhere for me to sleep! I hope she doesn't think that we're going to sleep in the same bed together, because I move in my sleep a lot. I'd probably end up kicking her off the bed without realizing it."

"Pi, pikachu," Pikachu said.

"Yeah, and you need some space too, Pikachu," Ash smiled.

May walked into her room and noticed Ash standing there with his hands on his hips. She walked in front of his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"So…what's up? Were you expecting maybe a bedroom with golden walls or something?" May asked sarcastically.

"No, it's just that you wanted me to sleep here with you and…" Ash said.

"Yeah," May chortled, "I'm surprised my mother agreed to it. I don't know why, but she doesn't want boys in my bedroom. Aside from my brother of course, its always been a rule she told me when I was little. I was never allowed to have boys in my room, but that was never really a problem, as all my friends in school when I was nine and under used to be girls anyway. To be honest, I still can't figure out why she even made that rule."

"Well where am I supposed to sleep?" Ash asked, flabbergasted, "There is only one bed here! You're expecting me to sleep with you on the same bed?"

"What? Of course not!" May blurted out, slightly embarrassed, "You're not sleeping in my bed, you're sleeping on the floor."

"On the floor? Are you crazy? That's even worse than sleeping in the same bed as you," Ash retaliated.

"Y-eah, that was the plan all along. We're going to be at my parents place for at least a few days, I thought you wanted to sleep in the same room as me just like we did back at the hotel and the Professor's place? Certainly it's better than sleeping in the living room on some uncomfortable couch-bed by yourself," May said.

"I wasn't really expecting to sleep on the floor though," Ash sighed.

"Ash, you're forgetting about your sleeping bag!" May said, flustered, "I didn't mean you had to sleep on the floor like an animal! I meant you were going to sleep in your sleeping bag next to my bed on the floor!"

"Oh! That's what you meant? Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Ash asked, flabbergasted.

"We've slept like this so often nowadays that I thought you understood what I meant," May laughed.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu shook his head in disbelief.

"I see…" Ash said.

"Heh, I'm glad you agreed to sleep in my room, Ash, thanks," May smiled.

"No problem. It's just kind of scary wondering where Brock would have slept if he came with us here too," Ash laughed.

"Maybe he would be the one to sleep with Kenny!" May chuckled.

Ash laughed as he took his backpack off his back and pulled out his sleeping bag. Whatever the case, Ash and May would share a bedroom for the days they'd stay over at the Petalburg Gym. Ash was already eagerly anticipating his match with Norman tomorrow, he was especially pumped up about it. He hasn't battled any Gym leaders in awhile, and this was the perfect chance to test his battle abilities against someone powerful again.

Although May prepared for a couple of days of rest and relaxation with her parents, there was already a bad seed brewing that would come back to haunt her, perhaps for the rest of her life.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Caroline held an exhausted Munchlax in her lap, the poor slob ate more than its stomach could hold. Its eyes were shut and it was snoring loudly, but that didn't compare to the obnoxious drool that was coming out of its mouth. The mother complained as its drool dripped onto her brown skirt, in which May quickly ran over with a paper towel. She placed the paper towel right underneath Munchlax's mouth, so the drool would be contained there, hopefully anyway, and not go on her mothers clothes.

Munchlax wasn't the only Pokemon present, as Beautifly was contently resting on May's head. Beautifly and May were apart for a long time, and the Pokemon was delighted to have its trainer back again. As much as Beautifly loved Caroline, it was still nothing compared to the bond between it and May. It was May's first captured Pokemon after all, and one that had achieved her success in many Contests. May was grateful that her Beautifly took good care of her Mom while she was gone, and was pleased to spend time with it and Skitty as well. May reached above her and stroked Beautifly's wings, the bug type really enjoyed her slender touch.

Ash was standing with confidence, the usual demeanor he gave off before he went into battle. He already had a Pokeball in his hand, but he was waiting for the signal before he released his Pokemon. Across the battlefield stood the Gym leader, Norman, with his arms crossed and a sly smirk. The Petalburg Gym was alive with excitement, as Ash and Norman were about to battle for the first time since Ash won the Balance Badge a while ago.

Max and Kenny were fighting over the flags, the boy wanted to referee the Gym match this time. Kenny said that it wasn't proper to have such a young boy referee the match, but Norman assured him otherwise.

"It really doesn't matter, Kenny, this is not an official Gym match anyway," Norman said, "If Max wants to referee the match, it'll be fine."

Kenny handed Max the red and green flags. "You're the boss," Kenny said, "And I know better than to get on the bad side of the son of a Gym leader."

"Heh, stop playing around, you dummy," Max said, playfully jabbing Kenny in the gut with the flag.

"I'll stand next to you to give you pointers if you're doing this correctly," Kenny said, "You know how to declare when someone is defeated right?"

"Yes, of course! I know how to referee a match, and I won't let my Dad down either," Max cheered, "You can instruct me, Kenny, so long as you're not breathing down my neck every five minutes."

"Heh, so I see," Kenny said, "You must be pretty excited about this match, right?"

"My Dad versus Ash, they haven't battled in a long time. Ash won last time but I'm sure Dad will completely own him this time. My father always adapts to the opponents battle strategies after he knows what they're doing," Max said.

"Hey, you two!" Ash called out, "Are we going to start the battle anytime soon? Stop yapping and let's get started already!"

"Hey, Ash!" May called out, "Don't get too over-anxious or you'll end up fumbling in the battle. Don't want to fall flat on your face, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, May," Ash replied simply.

Max held the flags in his hands and looked at the two opponents standing on both sides. They both nodded at Max, and he was ready to start the match.

"Alright!" Max said gleefully, "This is a practice battle between the Petalburg Gym Leader, Norman, and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! Let the battle begin!"

"You forgot to state how many Pokemon we'll be using," Norman reminded him.

"Oh, I did?" Max blushed, "Sorry about that, um…how many Pokemon are you guys using anyway?"

"It's a double battle, we'll both be using just two Pokemon, at the same time," Norman said.

"Gotcha," Max nodded.

"Go ahead, Max, now you say it," Caroline suggested.

"Right, Mom," Max squealed in excitement, "Let the double battle between Ash and Norman begin!"

"And so the routine begins," Norman said, reaching for his Pokeballs, "Slaking and Vigoroth, come out!"

The two simian Pokemon formed on the battlefield, one burly ape and the other a more agile like monkey. Slaking slouched on its side while holding its head up with its hand, while Vigoroth swayed his arms back and forth.

"No surprises?" Ash asked, "I thought you'd use something I haven't seen before."

"Well what do you expect, Ash?" May retaliated, "My Dad only has three Pokemon! You should know that."

"Well yeah, but I thought he had something secret planned, although since I didn't see any other Pokemon around the greenhouse, I guess not," Ash shrugged.

"My, Ash, you sound disappointed," Norman said, "You may have beaten these Pokemon before, but then again, they've improved significantly since our last battle. It really has been a long time."

Caroline turned to her daughter and put a hand on her thigh, while holding Munchlax in her arm with her other. May smiled up at her mother, Caroline could tell from the look in her eyes that she was once again on the side of her friend rather than her father.

"You want Ash to win again?" Caroline asked.

"Y-yea, I-I know it's kind of weird to want him to win over my Dad…but, you know," May stuttered, "It's Ash, and I want him to do well."

Caroline giggled playfully, "There's something about Ash that you're not telling me."

"Wuh? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Caroline said, she looked at the ceiling with an odd smile on her face.

May squinted her eyes. "You're getting weird, Mom," May said sarcastically, "Maybe old age is finally getting to you."

"Hey, that's a terrible thing to say to your mother!" Caroline scolded.

"Two can play at that game, huh?" May giggled, leaning her head against her mothers arm, "Maybe next time you shouldn't make wild accusations about my friends."

"You're just trying to wiggle your way out of it, I think I know the way my daughter works," Caroline snickered.

"Aw, Mom, you're making me blush!" May said, embarrassed.

"I've heard about these "teenage years," and I hope you're ready for them, May. It's not easy to raise a teenage daughter these days, not at all," Caroline said.

"I'll be a good girl, I promise," May said lovingly.

"Now that seemed to imply something. I think I better take another look at that bikini of yours after the match ends, you said Ash bought it for you?"

"It's just a normal swimsuit, Mom, it's nothing to get excited about. It's not like I was walking around and posing in it or anything, it's to swim in!" May exclaimed. She lowered her voice and spoke softly. "It is very special to me because of the length Ash went through to make me happy, I wouldn't have that swimsuit right now if it weren't for him. It's more than just another bikini, it honestly is something special. I still don't think I can ever repay him for it."

"I see," Caroline said, thinking quickly.

"Choose your Pokemon already, Ash!" Max yelled.

Ash looked at Max slightly distracted, he overheard that May was talking about him and tried to listen in on the conversation. Nevertheless, it was time to battle, something Ash enjoyed greatly. He pulled out his two Pokeballs, and was ready to release them on the battlefield.

"I haven't used these two Pokemon in a long time, I hope they're up for this," Ash said, looking confidently into the balls.

"That's right, Ash called Professor Oak yesterday, I think he transferred over some of his old Pokemon," Max said.

"Here we go!" Ash cried, "Kingler, Muk…I choose you!"

Moments later, the two Pokemon formed on the battlefield. Kingler was a crustacean Pokemon just like Corphish, except it resembled more of a crab in nature. It was red in color with spikes coming out of its head, and a humongous pincer that could crush boulders in two with ease. It constantly foamed at the mouth, it was very excited to be used in battle again. It was much larger than Corphish, being an evolved form especially, and looked just as powerful.

Ash's second Pokemon was made out of purple sludge, his Muk that he caught in Kanto ages ago. It could constantly form and reform into a liquid shape, as well as spread its ooze around the floor to move quickly. It wasn't solid in nature, thus it gave it a clear advantage over physical attacks. Muk moved its sludge-like arms, as it was getting ready to engulf its prey.

"Make your move first," Norman said.

"I will," Ash replied, "Kingler use Crabhammer on Vigoroth, Muk leap on top of Slaking!"

The two Pokemon obeyed instantly. Kingler launched itself toward Vigoroth as its pincer glowed a powerful white glow, while Muk leaped up into the air and was preparing to body slam a lazy Slaking that was resting on its side.

"Vigoroth, Mega Punch. Slaking, do what you need to do," Norman said.

Vigoroth pulled back its claws and released its punch full force into Kingler's pincer. The two opposing forces brutally exchanged blows with their powerful attacks, neither one giving into the other. Kingler tried a narrow swipe at its opponent, but Vigoroth was just too fast. It hopped around like a playful primate, sticking out its tongue and mocking Kingler at every turn. Kingler again tried to smash the monkey with its pincer, but Vigoroth avoided the attack, causing the crabhammer attack to smash into the ground instead.

Muk was a few seconds from landing on top of Slaking, its hope was to smother it with its toxins, and cover it with goo. Before it came crashing down, Slaking stood up on its legs and raised its hands to catch the falling sludge Pokemon. Muk landed on top of Slakings hands, the Pokemon was holding the Posion type at bay and prevented it from completely covering it.

"Use, Focus Punch and knock it out of your sight," Norman commanded.

Slaking obeyed and punched Muk straight in the underbelly, sending it flying across the battlefield. The Pokemon splattered upon hitting the ground, and needed a few seconds to recover its missing sludge to pull itself together.

"Muk, don't just sit there, Slaking is going to come charging at you!" Ash called out.

"Heh, you're too focused on a single battle, Ash," Norman said, "Vigoroth, Mega Punch Kingler in the back!"

"Vigo-roth!" Vigoroth cried, as it did a sombersault over Kingler's head, once again avoiding a blow with Crabhammer.

"K—ookie?" Kingler said, unsure of where the monkey landed.

Vigoroth roared in amusement as it punched the crab straight from behind, giving it a severe blow it would not soon forget. Kingler cried out in pain as it was launched across the other side of the room, smashing into a pillar against the wall.

"Ugh, Ash's Pokemon are being thrown all over the place!" May exclaimed.

"He probably underestimated your father since he beat Vigoroth and Slaking once before, but as usual, he should have expected these Pokemon to get stronger," Caroline said, "Norman battles challengers nearly everyday, and from each battle Vigoroth and Slaking improve their battle capabilities. They're much tougher than the last time Ash faced them."

"Slaking, use Hyper Beam!" Norman roared.

"Muk, slither your way out of there!" Ash called out quickly.

"Muuuuuuuuuk," the sludge Pokemon said, as it made itself flat on the ground, so it could slide away with ease.

The elemental attack from Slaking did smash into the ground near Muk, but the Pokemon was largely un-phased because it was in a pure sludge-like form.

"Muk, counter with Sludge Bomb!" Ash said.

"Muuuuuuk!" Muk taunted, as it sent out several black globs of sludge toward its opponent.

Slaking was still recovering from the effects of Hyper Beam, as the attack usually wears out the attacker and forces them to recuperate for a few seconds, and was thus unable to avoid the attacks. It was hit directly with several Sludge Bombs, as the strikes pounded against its chest and made it fall backward on the ground. It collapsed on its back as a loud thud shook the room, but Ash knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Muk, completely smother Slaking and cover it!" Ash said.

"Whoa, is Ash going to try to smother Slaking?" Max questioned, "Is that even legal?"

"You're the referee, you make the rules, Max. What do you think?" Kenny asked.

"Well…so long as it's using its normal attacks…it probably isn't against any rules," Max thought.

Muk saw its chance and took it, as it jumped on top of the exhausted Slaking and covered its body with its sludge. The purple sludge soon was able to cover its entire body, as a struggling Slaking moved its limbs frantically to get out of the disgusting sludge and take a breath of fresh air. Ash knew that if he was able to smother Slaking and prevent it from breathing, it would eventually collapse and faint. He also knew that he couldn't have Muk stay on top of its face for too long, as he may accidentally end up suffocating the ape instead.

"That was a pretty good move," Norman said, "But again you're forgetting something."

"Yeah, what's that?" Ash asked.

"This is a two on two battle, and thus my struggling Slaking has an ally," Norman grinned, "Vigoroth, run toward Muk and get that thing off Slaking!"

Vigoroth just finished body slamming Kingler into another wall, when it heard its trainers command. It quickly jumped away from a badly beaten Kingler, and ran over to help its fallen comrade. At a blinding speed, Vigoroth had its hands digging through the floor as it ran toward its target, several bits of rock and debris were being burst out of the ground.

"Vigo-roth!" it cried digging its claws underneath Muk's sludge-like body. Using ape-like reflexes, it then flung the poison type into the air as it crashed down on the floor before Ash.

Slaking gasped for air before finally standing up, and was now more irritated than ever. Vigoroth and Slaking exchanged friendly glances in the meantime, Slaking was thankful that Vigoroth came to its aid.

"Teamwork, that's what's great about a two on two battle. In case one Pokemon is in trouble, you always have another to help it out," Norman said.

"Now you're forgetting about a thing," Ash said angrily, "It's that you also have to be aware of combined attacks from your opponent! Kingler, use Bubblebeam and Muk use Sludge Bomb together!"

Kingler and Muk quickly gathered side by side, as they were ready to launch an attack in unison.

"Koooo-kie!" Kingler shouted, firing a beam of bubbles from its mouth.

"Muuuuuuk!" Muk cried, flinging a series of sludge at its opponent.

The sludge and Bubblebeam intertwined with one another, forming a dirty looking attack full of sludge and water. Vigoroth's back was turned to the attack as it was still chatting with Slaking, and it didn't realize the danger it was in.

"Vigoroth turn around! You've got to get out of the way!" Norman shouted.

"Vigo--?" Vigoroth said uncertainly, turning around.

"—ROTH!" it cried in fear, as a jet of sludge and bubbles struck it hard in its chest, propelling the Pokemon into Slaking, in which both of them were slammed into a wall from the intense pressure of a dual attack.

"Yeah!" May cheered, striking a fist into the air, "Way to go, Ash!"

"Not bad, guys!" Ash complimented, waving at his two Pokemon.

Muk and Kingler continued to stand side by side, hoping to use their new found strength to their advantage again. Several bits of debris were on top of the fallen primate's, the two Pokemon were clearly taken by surprise by the attacks.

"Now, while they're still stunned, Kingler use Hyper Beam! Muk, try to get in closer so we can end this!" Ash yelled.

Kingler fired the orange beam of light from its mouth, as Muk slid slowly across the floor toward its opponents. Slaking and Vigoroth were back on the battlefield again, only to see another attack launching toward them.

"Dad, you have to watch out! Do something!" Max shouted.

"Max, you're a referee, remember! Referees are NOT supposed to take sides during a match, you're supposed to be impartial!" Kenny scolded.

"But Dad's gonna get hit…" Max sighed.

"Your father knows what to do, he sees it coming," Kenny said, "You just better be ready to judge the outcome."

"Slaking, counter with your Hyper Beam!" Norman commanded.

Slaking jumped in front of Vigoroth and shielded it with its body. It then fired the orange beam of light from its mouth, in which it collided full force with the opposing Hyper beam. Upon the two attacks colliding, the room was lit up in a spectacular orange hue, the lights clashing with one another as the two powerful attacks threatened each other for domination.

Ash knew that Slaking and Kingler were at a standstill with their Hyper beam attacks, so now it was Muk's turn to take on the advantage. Muk continued to slide itself across the floor until getting at a good angle to attack Slaking.

"That'll do, Muk," Ash said happily, "Now fire your strongest Sludge Bomb at Slaking's mouth!"

"Muuuuuk!" it cried, firing a huge clot of sludge at full force.

"WATCH OUT, SLAKING!" Norman yelled.

Slaking turned its head slightly but it was too late. The sludge smacked it right in the mouth, completely covering it, thus preventing it from firing its Hyper beam attack any longer. With its Hyper beam attack out of commission, this allowed Kingler's Hyper beam to come back and strike the Pokemon as well.

"You got him!" May said happily.

Kingler's Hyper beam completely obliterated Slaking upon impact, the attack was so strong that it sent Slaking crashing against the wall, leaving its full body imprint in the wall before it came crashing face-first into the floor. While Slaking was defeated, Vigoroth only managed to take a little damage from the attack, and was still ready to fight.

"That was a good strategy, covering Slaking's mouth like that so your Hyper beam could hit," Norman said.

"Yeah, and now that your strongest Pokemon is out of commission, I'll be taking your other one out too!" Ash said confidently.

"Max!" Kenny scolded, "Declare something!"

"Wuh?" Max looked up confused, too hyped about the battle to think about anything else.

"Slaking is defeated! As the referee you must announce that!" Kenny insisted.

"Oh, right!" Max said nervously. He raised the red flag and declared the outcome. "Slaking is unable to battle, the match will now be a 2 on 1 battle. Vigoroth versus Kingler and Muk!"

"The odds are looking good for Ash," May said, "Right, Beautifly?"

"Beauti-fly," the bug-type replied.

"Did I say that correctly?" Max asked Kenny, eagerly awaiting a reply.

"Yep, couldn't have said it better myself. You really do make a good judge, it's no wonder you're a Gym leaders son," Kenny chuckled.

"Aw, don't rub it in," Max said bashfully.

Kingler and Muk closed in on the lone Vigoroth, both ready to tear it a new one. Instead of taking this opportunity to his advantage, Ash decided to play a more defensive route. Both his Kingler and Muk had taken a lot of previous damage, and he didn't want to run the risk of charging in, only to end up with both of them caught up in a potential surprise attack from their aggressor. Ash clenched his fist as he knew he had to make a move soon, but he didn't want to run the risk of making one that would cost him the match.

"Hm, as fast as Vigoroth is, I'm sure it won't be able to dodge or defend attacks from two Pokemon at once. If I can get in close and fast, I should be able to put an end to this match," Ash said quietly.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu shouted, warning Ash of the danger on field.

Oblivious, Ash looked on the field as Vigoroth had quickly burrowed underground. Its massive claws and arms were great for digging in the earth, and the Pokemon apparently realized that it could take refuge underground to avoid the attacks. Kingler and Muk looked around the battlefield, both unsure of where or when the Vigoroth would emerge from the ground.

"Vigoroth, emerge and use Focus Punch!" Norman commanded, raising a fist into the air.

The ground behind Muk suddenly split open as a raging Vigoroth emerged in a striking position. The Pokemon was about to unleash an attack at Muk, but Ash quickly thought of a plan.

"Muk, thin out your body!" Ash shouted, desperately.

Muk complied, stretching its body along the floor so its sludge was no longer accumulated in one place. As Vigoroth came crashing down, its fist did hit the purple sludge of Muk's body, but since the Pokemon was so spread apart, it hardly felt the impact. Instead, Vigoroth found its fist pulsating as it felt the pavement of the ground instead.

"Good move," Norman said, astonished.

"Muuuuuuuuk," Muk roared, as it quickly formed its body back together to go on the offensive.

Vigoroth dodged its parry attempt and was prepared to dig underground again. Ash realized that "hit and run" was the tactic that Norman was going for here. Vigoroth would bury itself underground in the subterranean caves, and occasionally emerge to deliver a devastating blow to the unsuspecting Pokemon. Ash also knew that he couldn't try the same tactic with Muk again, as Norman would be expecting it this time. Likewise, he had no mode of defense for Kingler, should Vigoroth choose to attack him instead. It was do or die time, and Ash decided that ending this battle as fast as possible would be the ideal case.

Ash threw out his arm and pointed to one of the holes that Vigoroth had dug. "Kingler, fire your Water Gun attack down the holes! Hopefully the water will flow through the caves and flush Vigoroth out!"

"Kook-ie, kookie!" Kingler agreed. It approached one of the holes and pointed its open pincer down below. It rapidly fired jets of water into the subterranean, in which it would catch up with Vigoroth and flush him to the surface.

Moments later, it did just that. A huge opening in the battlefield appeared, as the jet of water propelled a perplexed Vigoroth into the air. It was now an easy target, and at that point of the battle, Norman realized that he would lose.

"Quickly, while it's still in the air….body slam it…both of you!" Ash commanded.

Kingler and Muk leaped into the air, and while at opposite ends of Vigoroth, both of them slammed their bodies into the poor primate, striking it swiftly and painfully. Seconds later, all three Pokemon landed on the floor. However, only two of these Pokemon were still standing, as the other slammed to the ground against its own free will. Ash and Norman anxiously looked on the battlefield, but the result was what everyone was expecting. Vigoroth was knocked out, and Kingler and Muk were victorious.

Kenny gave Max a nudge with his shoulder, reminding him what he should do. Max stopped gawking at the battle, and started to raise his flag in the direction of Ash.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle, Ash Ketchum is the winner!" Max declared.

"Pikachu, pi!" Pikachu cheered, jumping on Ash's shoulder.

"We won, Pikachu!" Ash said triumphantly.

Kingler and Muk were thrilled with their victory, and approached Ash with jolly expressions. Ash patted both his Pokemon on the head, and thanked them for their hard work.

"Koookie, kookie," Kingler nodded.

"Muk!" Muk declared.

"Ash just beat my father again," May said, "And oddly enough, I'm not really all that surprised by it this time."

"That boy really must be some trainer, his quick thinking on the field is what led to his victory, it was very impressive. I hope you're learning from him, May," Caroline said.

"I am," May said, watching Ash prancing with his Pokemon. "I am," she repeated, softly.

Norman recalled his fainted Pokemon into their Pokeballs, and looked modestly across the field at Ash. It looked as if Norman made some sort of silent decision, as he didn't say anything, but he nodded while looking at Ash. He smiled, and then quietly walked off the battlefield and exited the room.

"Dad?" Max asked, wondering why his father left the Gym without saying a word.

The boy stared awkwardly across the room. Since he admired his father so much, he was slightly disappointed to see Ash beat him again, yet we was more mature about the battle outcome this time than their previous engagement.

"Max, I bet you had fun refereeing that match?" Ash asked.

"Heh, he did," Kenny said smiling, "I better watch out, if Max starts to like this stuff then I may be out of a job!"

"Don't worry, Kenny, I bet Mom could find some other housework for you to do," May giggled.

"As long as it doesn't involve removing Slaking's manure, then I'm game," Kenny chortled.

_I wonder if Dad is thinking about the future, _Max thought.

~*~*~~*

"Mom, do you have a sec?" May asked, standing in the door frame.

Caroline was busy typing on the computer in her bedroom, but when she noticed May's uneasy expression, she knew there was something concerning her. Caroline closed her PC and turned toward her daughter.

"I still want to talk to you about what happened at the Gym yesterday," May said.

"It still bothers you?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, it does," May said bluntly. She walked over to her mother and held both of her hands. She looked up at her mother in the eyes and sighed in despair. "I don't want you or Dad to see any more people like the guy who came into the Gym yesterday."

"I understand how you feel, but essentially, with your father's career we have no choice. We're supposed to accept challenges from all those trying to get a badge, you know that," Caroline replied.

May shook her head and scrunched up her face. "Isn't there some sort of rule against abuse of a Gym leader? I can't believe that there's nothing against this, that people can just walk into the Gym and insult the Gym leader…insult you and Dad," she said distressed.

Caroline rubbed her daughters' shoulders and assured her that everything would be fine.

"Your father and I took care of it, we forced him off our property and forbade him from challenging us again. I understand that things may have gotten a little scary for you and Max, but everything was under control."

"Were…were you scared?" May asked timidly.

"Hm?"

"Were you scared of…of what could have happened when you talked back to a guy like that? He…he looked like a gang member or something…I…"

"Yes," Caroline nodded, "To say I wasn't scared wouldn't be telling the truth. I was worried that the man might have launched out and attacked your father, or worse, have a weapon of some kind, but we stood our ground and make our dominance known. It's our Gym, and we can refuse to give him a badge, especially since he didn't win. Your father and I were both worried, you never know what's going on in anyone else's head, especially if they're aggressive and foreboding like that person from yesterday."

May walked away from her mother and sat on the bed. She placed her hands in her lap and looked at the floor in a troubled manner.

"So…even though you were scared, you had the courage to stand up to him," May said, her eyes wobbling.

Caroline approached her daughter and kneeled down before her while putting her hands in her lap. She saw tears start to form in May's eyes, and realized there was something more to this than she let on.

"May, what's bothering you?" Caroline asked sternly. "I can tell it's more than the man who came to the Gym yesterday, please tell me what's upsetting you."

"No-thing," May said, her voice more high pitched than usual.

"I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me what's upsetting you," Caroline said, her voice beginning to shake as well. "May, you always used to be honest with me, and tell me everything that was on your mind. What's bothering you?"

"It's your courage, Mom," May confessed, forcing a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I…I was in a situation like this not too long ago, while Ash and I were on the beach. There…there were four people who were harassing us, they were all…older people," May grieved.

"Really? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I…I didn't want to worry you or Dad," May sulked, "That's not the point though, the point is you had the courage to stand up against someone…and I didn't."

Caroline tried to say something but May continued, her voice cracking as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

"I let those people walk all over me, they did terrible things to us. I ended up with a few cuts and bruises after the whole ordeal was done, and Ash got into a fight with one of the guys…he…he ended up receiving a painful punch to the stomach," May sniffed, "And I couldn't do a thing."

"Honey, you…"

"The difference is I'm not like you, I'm not like Mom or Dad," May cried, "I…I don't have the courage to stand up against people like that…I just don't. My knees start to shake and my body starts to tremble, I'm...I'm a coward."

"Stop putting yourself down like that!" Caroline scolded.

"It's true. If Ash wasn't there on the beach with me, I don't really know what might have happened. I was even willing to give up participating in that surfing competition, but Ash kept reassuring me that we could do our best, and try to win no matter who our competition was," May grieved, wiping the tears out of her eyes, "After the competition ended, I got over it. I started to gain more confidence and more assertive, I…I promised myself I wouldn't let people walk all over me like that again…"

"And…and you…?" Caroline hesitated.

"…and when that guy came to the Gym yesterday, all those previous fears and doubts came shooting back into my mind. I thought that perhaps I was able to overcome these fears, and have some confidence, but when I saw how that guy treated you, they…they just shattered. It was at that point when you and Dad were standing up against and yelling at that Ross guy, that…that I realized I still have a long way to go."

"And you did have the courage to speak out against him, you yelled at him from across the room, remember?" Caroline reminded her.

"I know, but he just shook it off. My threats meant nothing, and I thought of what it might be like if I had to run into that guy alone. If you guys, and Ash or Kenny weren't there, would I be able to fend him off myself? Would I be able to defend you guys and he'd take me seriously? Or…would it be a repeat of what happened with Precita?" May sniffed.

Caroline raised her daughter from the bed and held her close, trying to give the support that mothers usually give to her children. She rubbed her back comfortably, hoping to relieve her of her stress.

"I promise, you'll grow into a strong young woman, that I'm sure of," Caroline promised, "Don't doubt in yourself, please, you don't know how worried that makes me as your mother."

"I want to grow up to be like you, Mom," May said, "That's what I came here to talk to you about."

"May…"

"I want to be strong like you."

~*~*~~*~*

Norman placed Slaking's Pokeball on a shelf, and shut the cabinet doors in front of it. After a long and fierce battle, he knew that his Pokemon would need a nice long rest, especially since he would probably have to face new challengers the very next day. Being a Gym leader was hard work, but Norman loved every minute of it. Still, there was always something on his mind regarding the future of the Petalburg Gym, and it troubled him for a long time, until today.

Ash and Max were walking in the hallway together. Max was chowing down on some potato chips hungrily. Pikachu, who was hanging on Ash's shoulder, was also chowing down on a chip that Max had given him.

"The battle was awesome, Ash. I know I acted like a stuck-up brat the last time you beat my father, but this time I'm more mature about it," Max said, biting down on a chip.

Norman heard Ash and Max talking in the hall, and decided to listen in on their conversation. He leaned against the wall opposite of the hall they were standing in, and closed his eyes while remaining silent.

"It didn't bother you at all this time, that I defeated your father?" Ash asked.

"Don't get me wrong, I would have liked to see you lose!" Max giggled.

Ash pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes in an embarrassed manner. "Gee, thanks a lot, Max!"

"Heh," Norman grinned.

"Anyway, I was really hoping for Dad to win this time, but I dunno, I had a feeling you would beat him again," Max said, staring at the chip in his hand.

"Your father really is a tough opponent, I was being knocked all around the field during the beginning of the battle. If I didn't pull myself together and realize what was happening, I might have lost," Ash confessed.

Max chomped down on his chip and smiled. "One day, Ash, when I become a trainer, I'd like to be stronger than you and my Dad combined," Max said.

"Both of us combined? That's a pretty big goal," Ash said.

"Pika," Pikachu added.

"Why not? You and Dad are the two most powerful trainers I've ever seen, I'd love to get as strong as you guys. It isn't really a shock that I want to get as powerful as the people I respect the most," Max said.

"Max!" Ash exclaimed, embarrassed.

"I guess I know why my sister aimed to follow your lead and become a competent trainer when we all first met. You already had a ton of experience, and my sister needed someone to learn from and get stronger. In that same way, I'd like to take the best parts out of your battle style, and my Dad's battle style, and combine them together," Max said.

"Max…" Ash said, trailing off.

Max laughed, "Yeah! With my Dad's great battle strategies and your dumb luck, I should be unbeatable!"

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, nearly toppling over in embarrassment.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu snickered.

Norman chortled, and slowly walked into the hallway to greet the two boys.

"Interesting conversation you two have got going," Norman smiled.

"You heard all that?" Max said embarrassed, blushing.

"I sure did," Norman nodded.

"I heard it too!" Kenny said, walking down the hall with a mop in his hands.

"Gee, I'm starting to think everyone in this house has huge ears or something," Ash noted.

Kenny continued mopping the floor in the distance as Norman approached Ash and asked him to see him in private.

"I'd like to talk to Ash about something for a moment, can you wait outside for a bit, Max?" Norman asked.

"It's ok, I want to see what Mom is doing anyway," Max said, pulling more chips out of his bag.

Ash was a bit confused about why Norman wanted to talk to him alone, but nonetheless he followed him into his room with Pikachu on his shoulder. It was a fairly small room with a lot of desks and cabinets and papers scattered about, but it was fairly welcoming as well.

Norman walked into his brown cabinet and took out Slaking's Pokeball. He twirled the ball in his hand for a few moments, and then looked at a flabbergasted Ash.

"You're familiar with Slaking by now, right?" Norman asked.

"Yeah, after battling it twice and playing with it in the greenhouse for a few hours, I'm pretty comfortable around it," Ash grinned.

"That's good, because I was wondering how you would feel about being in command of this Slaking some day," Norman said.

"What?!" Ash asked, astonished, "You're not going to give me your Slaking, are you?"

Norman laughed, "No, not right now. Calm down, Ash!"

"The way you made it sound…"

"I saw your eyes lit up, you looked like you were about to jump for joy," Norman chortled, "Getting a new Pokemon really does excite you, I though my daughter was just exaggerating when she told me this."

"But…but why? Why would you want to give me your strongest Pokemon?" Ash asked, still in shock.

Norman looked at the Pokeball in his palm again, and then slipped it into his pants pocket. He rubbed his face with his hand and started to pace around the room.

"Ash, I'm going to be 38 years old come next Fall," Norman said, "I'm starting to think about the future of this Gym, after I retire."

"Hm? I don't understand, I've seen Gym leaders well over 60 years old. I thought you could be a Gym leader for as long as you could battle! 38 isn't that old, at least I don't think so," Ash said.

"Ha! Again you're moving to fast, Ash, slow down a bit. I'm talking about in the far future, not two weeks from now. I'm starting to think about who I'll pass on this Gym to after I decide to retire my Gym leader status. I've weighed my options, and I've limited them down to just a few people."

"Aren't you going to keep the Petalburg Gym within your family line?" Ash asked, "Wasn't your father the Gym leader before you?"

"Yes, he was," Norman replied.

"So then you already have a person to pass the Gym to! Your son will take over the Gym in the future, Max has already said a lot of times how he wanted to become a Gym leader some day. I think it would be really cool to see Max become the new Petalburg Gym leader too," Ash grinned.

"You really think so?" Norman asked, "I've been wondering about that myself, and my son shows a lot of promise. However, he hasn't even become a trainer yet, so he won't be able to prove his worth as a Gym leader for a long, long time. In the meantime, I've been thinking about passing the Gym to someone who already is a trainer, someone who I can count on."

Ash thought for a few seconds, and the next most likely suspect rang a bell.

"You mean May?" Ash asked, "I'm not sure about that, Norman, May still doesn't seem to care for Gyms very much. I think she'd be better off continuing what she's doing, being a great coordinator and traveling on her journey. She really wants to travel more than anything, I don't think she'd be happy in a stationary place like this!"

"Ha, would it surprise you if I wasn't talking about May?" Norman snickered, "I know full well that she doesn't want to become a Gym leader, and I have no intention of forcing her to become one. I'm very proud of her and the dream she's decided to follow, and I won't get in her way. I'm also very pleased that you were so quick to defend her, and state what she wants to do, before I even said her name."

Ash got embarrassed, again. "It's…it's just that I've known her for such a long time now that I know what she wants to do. She…she's really determined."

"True, true."

Ash was still confused. "If, if you weren't talking about your children…then who were you thinking about? I don't think Kenny could take over the Gym, does he even have Pokemon? Or do you mean Caroline? That she's going to be the new Gym leader?"

"No, you're skipping over the most likely person I'm thinking about."

"Huh? I can't think about anyone else, unless you mean your uncles or aunts or something? Who else is there that could be the new Petalburg Gym leader?"

"You," Norman said.

"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Why do you think I offered you my Slaking? I've been thinking about who could take control of the Petalburg Gym before Max is qualified himself, and I was thinking about something. You're a strong, competent trainer. You've taken both of my children under your wing and exposed them to so many different Pokemon and environments. You've proven to me that you're trustworthy. You've defeated me twice, something nobody else has been able to accomplish. And most of all, I already consider you to be part of the family," Norman said encouragingly, "What do you think?"

"Pika, pikachu" Pikachu asked.

Ash turned to his buddy, and meekly stated his response.

"I…can't," Ash said meekly, "Sorry, but I have to decline."

Ash could tell that Norman was disappointed in his response, his face was no longer as jovial as it was before. Norman sighed and pressed his hands against his desk, stretching out his arms while Ash watching him from behind.

"Is there any particular reason why you're refusing?" Norman asked, quietly.

"I'm sorry, Norman, but I never really thought of myself as a person who would become a Gym leader. That's…just not something I'm aiming for," Ash confessed, "Thanks for the offer, and I'm still surprised you would pick me to take your place, but I need to follow my own dreams."

"Your own dreams involve becoming a Pokemon champion, do they not? I know quite a few people who won trophies at various Pokemon league tournaments, and a lot of them became Gym leaders shortly after that. Does the idea of being a Gym leader bother you?" Norman asked, turning to him slightly.

"No, not really. Two of my best friends are Gym leaders themselves after all, and I think it's great to have your own Gym," Ash said, "I'd rather be out in the world, traveling, and battling new trainers with Pokemon I've never seen before. When you're a Gym leader you're forced to stay in one place, you can't travel or see new Pokemon or anything."

"Yes, it can be tiring to stay at the Gym for a long period of time," Norman confessed.

"In fact, being a Gym leader can sometimes take you away from your friends. Reminds me of what happened to Misty," Ash said, quietly.

"Pikachu, chu," Pikachu sighed.

Norman turned around, noticing that Ash was pretty much in a trail of thought.

"Maybe that's why I don't want to become a Gym leader, I don't want to lose my friends," Ash concluded, "I don't want to be stuck in one place, not being able to travel with my friends and explore lands with new Pokemon."

"I see," Norman said, "May shares some of the same sentiments, I think her love of traveling is also what turned her off from the Gym leader life."

Ash looked up at Norman, hoping that he wasn't disappointed in him. "I hope you understand, Norman, it's not something I'd want to do for the rest of my life," Ash said.

"I understand, perhaps it was a bit silly of me to ask you this in the first place. I've gotta say though, it's nice to see someone so focused and determined about their own path in life, that they're able to turn down other roads without hesitation," Norman complimented, putting his hand on Ash's shoulder, "I respect you a great deal, Ash, I hope you never give up doing what you want to do."

"I won't," Ash smiled.

"One thing though, does the thought of Max taking my place someday bother you?" Norman asked.

"Hm? I'm…I'm not really sure. I'm mostly positive about the idea because Max is himself, and I want him to be happy with his choice. Max admires you a whole lot, and he seems to want to follow in your footsteps. I'd tell him to go for it without hesitation, but it seems a little odd to say that at the moment since he hasn't even become a trainer yet," Ash chortled.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to the day the little rascal turns ten myself," Norman chuckled, "When he does become a trainer, I hope that you'll let him continue to travel with you. I can say this without a doubt, you've done more for my children than anyone ever could in regards to Pokemon, I'm within your debt for this reason alone."

"I didn't do _that _much, really!"

Norman grinned. "It's ok, you don't have to be modest. I want May and Max to continue to learn from you, and grow alongside you. Please continue to look after them."

"I…I will," Ash said, "Pikachu will too."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"Good, as I said, I already consider you to be part of the family. You know, it would be amusing if you actually became my future son-in-law someday," Norman said deviously, raising his eyebrows.

He was trying to figure out if there was anything going on between Ash and his daughter, it was something that crossed his mind quite a number of times in the past. He'd be able to tell just by Ash's body language and facial expression alone, since the question would imply something serious. Norman eagerly awaited his reply.

"Son-in-law?" Ash asked, bewildered, "What the heck is that? Is it something to eat?"

Norman smacked his forehead and rolled his eyes.

"I should have known better," Norman said, shaking his head.

~*~*~*

After a few minutes of walking through the house and trying to comprehend what Norman was implying, Ash came across May who was juggling small foam balls with Skitty.

"Yay, you still got it, Skitty!" May cheered, throwing another ball toward Skitty's tail.

"Nyaaa!" Skitty replied, playfully juggling the balls.

Skitty used its tail to bounce the three foam balls in the air, and was consistent in keeping them in place without the balls falling down. May clasped her hands as she was pleased that Skitty could still juggle three balls without fail.

"Its been a long time since you've juggled with Skitty," Ash said, walking next to May.

"Yeah," she replied, holding a fourth ball in her hand, "Even after all this time its spent with my parents, it still hasn't lost its touch. I was afraid it might forget how to juggle since I haven't practiced with it for a long time, but I can see that worry was put to rest."

"Skitty is awfully cute, why don't you let me try to throw it a ball?" Ash asked.

"Oh, sure," May said, handing the fourth ball to Ash.

Skitty continued to juggle the three balls with its tail as it noticed Ash with the fourth ball in his hand.

"Ash is going to throw the last ball to you, make sure you catch it!" May instructed.

"Ready, Skitty?" Ash asked, holding the ball up high.

"Nyaaaa!" Skitty taunted.

"Here goes!" Ash shouted, throwing the ball gently toward Skitty's tail.

Skitty used its tail to get the fourth ball under its control, and was able to successfully juggle it with the others. Skitty cheered as it was now juggling four balls for May and Ash.

"That's a new record! Maybe next time we'll try five balls!" May said.

"You don't want to overwhelm it though, juggling four balls is amazing as it is!" Ash said.

"I guess you're right," May smiled, as she kneeled down next to Skitty, "Ok, you can stop now, Skitty."

"Nyaaa nayaa," Skitty snickered, dropping all four balls to the ground. It then caught notice of its bushy pink tail, and playfully began to run in circles chasing its own tail. It ran so fast that it ended up getting dizzy in less than five seconds.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu sighed.

"Skitty, how many times do I have to tell you not to chase after your own tail?!" May scolded.

Skitty lie dazed on the floor, with circular patterns in its eyes. It was certainly out of it.

"Heh, it's still the same old Skitty. May, I guess it didn't need to be around you to still be a playful screwball," Ash mocked.

"Skitty was always kind of screwy, even before I caught it," May said. She turned toward Ash and clenched a fist. "Unless you were implying that I'm a screwball! You're trying to start something, Ash?"

"No, of course not!" Ash shook his head, snickering, "Well, maybe not _entirely. _I just like to see you get mad over such silly things, you're kind of cute when you're angry."

"You suck at sweet-talking, Ash," May giggled.

"Sweet-talking?" Ash asked, perplexed.

"Never mind," May said. She walked up to him and gave him a brief hug for being so amusing.

"You know, I talked to your father before and he said some pretty interesting things," Ash said.

"Like what?" May asked, brushing her head on his shoulder.

"He was talking about the Gym, and if Max will take it over in the future, and some other stuff like that," Ash said.

"Oh, that," May sighed, stepping away from him.

"He also said something about it being funny if I became his son-in-law, what the heck is that?" Ash asked.

"Wuh?" May turned in disbelief, "He really said that?"

"I…think so," Ash said.

May shook her head, she was flabbergasted. "I think Dad needs to remember how old we are…I can't believe he figured it out though."

"Figured out what?" Ash asked.

May smiled, after all this time, she never said those three magic words. There was never the right opportunity, but now seemed as good as ever.

"That I love you! What else?" May grinned.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Gyms weren't just a place to prove your worth and battle ability in, they were also a home for their respective Gym leaders and families. One problem with maintaining a Gym is that there always had to be sufficient food for the Pokemon that battle there. One reason that Norman only had three Pokemon was because it was a huge hit to the wallet to constantly spend money on Pokemon food, especially food for 800 pound gorillas. Slaking ate a ton, which was no surprise, but it was certainly a pain to keep its stomach full. Luckily, Gym leaders earn pretty big salaries so money was never an issue, but it was just the pain of going to the supermarket every other day to buy more stuff.

Since Kenny's shift was over, he went home for the afternoon. With him out of the picture, Caroline had to go to the market herself to buy some food for her hungry Pokemon, as well as for her family. Before Caroline left the house to drive to the market, May eagerly insisted that she tag along, for she wanted to spend more time with her mother, not to mention the fact that she loved food. Becoming somewhat of a glutton herself, May couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick out the kind of food she wanted at the supermarket.

May grabbed her fanny pack and strapped it around her waist, but before she left the house she said goodbye to her brother and Ash. She gave Ash a noteworthy smile and nod before she went out the door, for she was pleased in her newfound confidence over her relationship with the boy. After the previous kisses and the physical contact between the two, she finally directly stated that she loved him. Ash responded with a nervous smile and some incoherent gibberish, but much like the response to their first kiss, it was satisfactory enough. She was kind of amused by the fact that Ash didn't reply with a, "I love you too!" as a response, for she thought it would be contrived, as if he said that without really meaning it. The fact that he couldn't form words as a response, but looked generally elated instead was what she much preferred. She knew he was sincere, and even though he couldn't say it yet, he loved her just as much. All in all, May was happy to finally realize something; she had a boyfriend.

As May was sitting in the passenger seat in her parents car while her mother was driving to the supermarket, a whole new world of possibilities and scenarios opened up in her mind. She sat there silently with her hands in her lap, giving off a contented expression of a daughter that was just going about buying a few groceries with her mother. In her mind however, she realized that she just entered a new segment of her life; one with a romantic relationship, her _first _romantic relationship, and she had to make sure she was ready for it.

One benefit about her relationship with Ash was that she already knew him for so long beforehand. They had traveled together for months and months through different regions, and she knew his personality inside and out. Unlike other teenage relationships where the guy and girl barely knew each other before dating, May and Ash were already closely knit. She knew what he liked, what he didn't like, and what his personality was all about. She knew how to push his buttons, and when to lay back. She was aware of his passion, determination, confidence and courage; four qualities that she really liked about him. She wondered, could she be in a possibly better scenario? She had thought that dating and crushes were a hectic thing in the past, but perhaps it was relatively easy after all.

One thing she was in doubt about however was if she should bring it out in the open. She suspected that her mother eluded to the fact that she knew, or at least, was aware that there was something between her and Ash that was being kept secret. Still, it was quite difficult directly saying anything to her mother, as the potential teasing would be too awkward. She knew her father respected Ash quite a bit, but she was unaware if he could decipher anything but friendship between them. At the moment, she believed that he was in the dark. She made up her mind however that she would definitely not tell Max, her little brother, as long as he were traveling with them. There was nothing more annoying than a little brother teasing and making rude comments about his sister's love life. She thought about the potential grief that Max would give her if he found out, and she sure as hell wasn't ready for that. She imagined that Ash would find it awkward too, especially since he and Max were very close, and now it would be a different ballgame. Now Ash would have to be aware that he was in a relationship with Max's older sister, and it's quite jarring to establish that right away. Nonetheless, May would let time tear away the boundaries until she was comfortable making her relationship with Ash known.

Caroline pulled the car into the parking lot of the supermarket, and shut off the engine as she took off her seatbelt. May sat there still content in her own little world, until her mother had to snap her out of it to let her know they arrived. May squeamishly acknowledged it and hopped out of the car as fast as she could.

The mother and daughter walked through the sliding doors to the busy supermarket. It was quite large, with multiple aisles and a ton of customers about. Hoping to buy a lot of food for not only the Gym's Pokemon but for themselves as well, Caroline and May took two separate shopping wagons to walk around the aisles with. They shopped together for the most part, as Caroline picked up the large bags of food for Slakoth's diet. May's mouth on the other hand was already watering when she saw the meat and deli being prepared and cooked behind the counters.

"Honey, you're drooling in public again," Caroline said.

May stuttered and squeamishly turned to her mother. "H-hey, I-I can't help it that there's so much good food around here! After traveling for so long, I almost forgot how great this supermarket was! We really gotta pick up a lot of stuff here, Mom, I want to eat as much good food as I can before I start traveling with Ash again."

Caroline picked up a loaf of bread and dropped it in the wagon. "Always in such a rush to hit the road again, I suppose that's the lifestyle of an aspiring Top coordinator."

May smiled. "I'm sorry that we don't see each other that much anymore, but you know how it is. Traveling is just the best, and I can't wait until the Contest houses open up again so I can start competing for the next Grand Festival. Since we're in the off-season right now there's no reason to travel, but I don't suspect that'll last long," she said.

"Do you have any idea where you'll be heading next?" Caroline asked.

"Eh, not really. I suppose wherever Ash decides to go will be fine. I just hope there are Contests there too, or else we might be in for a bit of a problem," May frowned.

"I've thought about that too," Caroline said, turning toward May, "Would you and Ash be able to split apart for a short while if there were no Contests halls in the region he was traveling in?"

"You mean…" May said, trailing off.

"Yes, I'm curious. It seems to mostly be a coincidence that Contests happen to be in the same regions that Ash intends to compete in, your goals seem to intertwine with one another well. There are some lands out there without any Contest halls though, so I hope you make a good choice if it ever comes to that," Caroline said.

May pressed her hands against the wagon, unsure of what to reply with at the moment. Her mother did bring up a good point, especially now that Ash had become a romantic love interest, what would she do?

"I haven't really thought about it," May said truthfully, "Contests are pretty popular, it's no surprise that they happen to be in the most popular regions. I do know, however, that some lands don't have Contest halls for whatever reason, and that is kind of troubling."

May and Caroline continued to walk down the aisles, picking up various items and placing them in the wagon as they talked. May thought about how their relationship might be affected if they were traveling apart, as most long distance relationships end up falling to pieces. She also thought about if Ash would decide to just tag along with her on her Contest quest, and decide not to compete in any Gyms or battle facilities for awhile. She knew that idea had some holes in it though, as Ash was way too competitive and determined with his own dream to just sit idle for awhile, especially when it could take up to a year to collect five ribbons and finish in a Grand Festival.

Caroline continued which awoke May from her train of thought. "At that point you'd probably have to make a choice on whether you would want to continue to travel with Ash, and not compete in Contests for up to a year, or decide to travel a separate road and compete in Contests in a different region. It's probably a hard choice for the two of you, since you seem so…close," Caroline noted.

"M-mom, I know, but I'd rather not…"

"You'd rather cross that bridge when you come to it, eh?" Caroline winked.

"Right!" May said happily, "No point in worrying about it now, it's…something to leave for the future."

Caroline chuckled as she threw a box of cereal into the wagon. "You know, it's funny that your father and I pretty much went through the same thing."

"Wuh? You and Dad? What do you mean?" May asked, interested.

"You know that Dad inherited the Gym from grandpa, but of course, he didn't just get the Gym overnight. He had to prove to his father that he was worthy to become the successor of the Petalburg Gym, and thus he had to travel all over the land, defeating other Gym leaders and earning badges. He had to show them to his father as proof that he was victorious against the other esteemed Gyms. It was only after winning a certain amount of badges, that his father, your grandpa, decided to pass the Gym over to his control," Caroline said.

"That's interesting, you never told me that before. You said you met Dad when you were both very young, how did that affect you?" May asked, curiously.

Caroline continued to delve into her past, pleased to tell her daughter this for the first time. "At the time that I met your father, I was working full-time as a bank clerk. I had my own apartment at the time, and I certainly needed some money to pay the bills," Caroline said, starting to blush, "I eventually fell in love with your father, he was quite the charmer back then, really, _really _handsome, ahem…anyway, that was around the time he told me that he would have to travel the land in order to pursue his career as a Gym leader. He told me that he would have to bring home roughly 20 badges to prove to his father that he was worthy for control of the Gym, and that was quite a shock."

"Twenty badges?! That's a lot! I know grandpa was strict and serious, but wow, I never knew he worked Dad so hard!" May exclaimed.

"Yep, it was just as big a shock to me as it was to you now. We were madly in love too, it was almost heartbreaking to have him go down a separate path and travel without me," Caroline said.

"Why didn't you go with Dad?"

"I needed the job, dear, I was basically living from paycheck to paycheck. I would have loved to tag along with your father, but I decided to stick with my job while he was traveling. Having me around would also be somewhat of a burden to him, as he had very little money himself, and wouldn't have enough cash to spend feeding two people on a journey. He could also travel at a quicker pace without me, as he used to jog quickly from town to town, hoping to get to the next Gym as fast as possible. I think it was about 14 months that your father and I were apart."

"Your…love lasted though, didn't it? 14 months is a really long time," May said, astounded.

"It was grueling, let me tell you that," Caroline chuckled, "We did keep in touch via phone calls and e-mail, but as you know that's nothing like being face to face, especially when you're in a relationship. I suppose some lesser girls would have given up on a man that traveled for such a long time away, but I decided to stick with your father, as we made a promise to continue our relationship where we left off when he returned."

May clasped her hands excitedly. "And then you and Dad got back together, right?!"

"Of course! Otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now, would you?" Caroline teased.

"I guess not!" May squealed, "That was really amazing of you to wait for Dad after all that time, you're just amazing, Mom!"

"Don't glorify me, May, I just loved your father too much to let him go," Caroline said, "Sure enough, he won those 20 badges fair and square, and eventually grandpa passed over the Gym over to him shortly after that. Once he gained control of the Gym, I quit my job and we both settled in Petalburg City. We've lived there alone together since, until…little critters decided to pop out!"

Caroline grabbed May out of nowhere and hugged her while tickling her stomach. May giggled as her mother kissed her on the head.

"Heehee, why were we talking about this again?" May asked sheepishly.

"Because you and Ash may face the same problem in the future," Caroline insinuated.

May's cheeks turned red as she pushed away from her mother. She walked toward her wagon and nervously started to run down the aisle with it.

"Did I imply something wrong, dear?" Caroline asked.

"I'll…run ahead and go pick up some stuff from the other aisles!" May shouted, running as fast as she could with the wagon.

Caroline bit her lip and watched her daughter run down the supermarket. "That sure got her," she said happily, "She must really like traveling with that boy, otherwise that topic wouldn't have made her blush."

Caroline sighed and continued picking food off the shelves. She muttered, "I just hope he remembers to always look out for her."

May pushed the shopping cart through the aisles at a blinding speed, almost bumping into other customers on the way. She ran past a center aisle filled to the top with canned foods, and nearly knocked over the stack with the wagon. She turned her head while running, hoping that she didn't accidentally knock anything over, but to her relief there were no problems thus far.

She finally got to an aisle far away from her Mom, and sighed as she leaned against her cart.

_Darn, no wonder why she never told me about the way the Gym was handled until now. She was trying to figure out if Ash and I paralleled her and Dad in a way, _May thought, _That was really tricky of you, Mom, almost got me to admit that Ash and I were an item…geez. _

May shook her head and rubbed her hand over her eyes tiredly before she started shopping again. She turned to the wagon and without looking where she was going, she accidentally bumped into the side of someone. She jerked back the wagon quickly, hoping that she didn't bother the man.

"I'm awfully sorry!" May apologized, bowing, "I wasn't quite looking where I was going, I hope I didn't bother you!"

"Meh, no biggie," the man replied simply. He was looking at the items on the shelf, and thus wasn't paying attention to what the girl looked like.

May was about to walk away with the wagon when something about the man caught her eye. He looked awfully familiar, especially since he was dressed in all black. She knew she shouldn't let her curiosity get the best of her, but she slowly walked to the side of the man to see his face.

_"You," _she gasped under her breath.

The man turned to her after plopping a few gummy bears from the package into his mouth. Dressed in all black leather, and wearing plenty of chains and jewelry, the man was clearly the same guy that came to the Petalburg Gym yesterday, Ross.

He did a double take before recognizing the girl that stood in front of him. He moved his hand over his shaved dome as he put on an arrogant smile.

"Hey, you're the Gym leader's kid, aren't ya?" Ross asked.

"Uh….NO!" May yelled, almost instantly, as she walked back to her wagon and started pushing it down the aisle.

Ross quickly darted in front of her wagon to slow her down, and placed his hands on the front of the cart to stop her in her tracks.

"Whoa, whoa, what's the rush, kid? You seem to want to avoid me or something, can't we talk for a bit?" Ross asked, cracking a grin.

"Talk?" May asked, "No, I'm busy, can you please let go of the wagon so I can continue?"

"Fair enough," Ross said, letting go of the wagon and stepping to the side. As May started walking however, he quickly walked next to her and tried to talk to her. May kept her head facing forward, but apparently this wasn't turning Ross off at all.

"You're Norman's daughter, I'm sure of it," Ross laughed, "Why did you lie and say you weren't?"

"I-I don't know. Does it matter?" May scowled.

She picked up the pace and wheeled the wagon down another aisle to avoid him, but Ross jogged next to her.

"Well…yeah! Of course it matters, girl….hey slow down a bit!" Ross called out.

"I told you I'm busy, let me be," May said.

"Ok, ok, I just want to ask you one thing and then I'll go," Ross said, pleasantly.

Almost vehemently, May turned to him and permitted him to speak. "Fine, what do you want?"

"You see, I'm in a bit of a problem here, doll face. That Pokemon league competition is coming up pretty soon, and I'm a badge short. As you know I tried to win a badge at your father's Gym but that didn't go too well. I don't think your father will allow me challenge him again, but I was wondering if you could be a doll and get one of your Daddy's badges for me?" Ross asked.

"You mean give you a badge for free? Why the hell should I do that?" May asked boisterously.

"Because your dear old Pops banned me from the Gym, and I need a badge to meet the competition deadline. I'm sure you know where your Dad keeps the badges, and I only need one of them. How's about being a pal and getting one of them for me?"

"After the way you insulted my Mom and Dad? Of course not!" May yelled, "Even if you were a decent trainer, I wouldn't give you a badge because that's cheating. I'm not supposed to be taking my father's badges and simply handing them out to anyone, you know!"

Ross was starting to lose his temper, but he calmed himself to keep his cool. The veins on his forehead were beginning to bulge. May noticed it, and realized this was a good time back off. She pushed the wagon and continued walking down the aisle, hoping to meet up with her mother again as soon as possible.

"That's un-cool, way un-cool, little miss!" Ross said, waving his arms. He then quickly thought up a plan, and ran up beside May once again.

"What are you still following me for? I said no!" May shouted, angrily.

"Whoa, keep your shirt on, girl! No need to get so angry," Ross snickered, "How's about we work out a little deal? You get me a badge, and I'll give you something in return. Sounds good?"

"No, I'm not helping you cheat," May said, "I think you're a disgusting person for what you said to my parents, go away."

"Wow, this is un-cool, very un-cool. I suggest you don't piss me off, girl, this is something for our mutual benefits. I'll get you anything you want for a badge, _anything," _Ross pleaded.

May knew this guy wasn't going to give up, and she cursed herself under her breath for running away from her mother to begin with. Out of all the rotten luck, why did this guy have to be in the supermarket at the same time she was?

"Want a Pokemon? I can give you one of mine," Ross offered, showing her a Pokeball, "If you don't want that, how about some money? 20 bucks for a badge sound nice? I can offer you other stuff too, want a pack of cigarettes? Drugs? You name it, girl, I'll give you anything for one measly badge."

May ignored the man and continued down the aisle. As she was passing by other customers, she thought about talking to them to get this guy away from her, but she wasn't sure if she should do it. She also thought about yelling in the store to draw attention to herself, to possibly scare this guy off, but she wasn't sure if she should do that either. He was sticking to her like Beedrill on honey, and it didn't look like he was going to back down until he got what he wanted.

As May was roaming down the aisle, one of her Pokeballs inside her fanny pack wobbled and flashed open. "What?!" May exclaimed.

The beam of light formed into her Munchlax, who let itself out on his own. The small glutton Pokemon looked around eagerly, and was quite thrilled to be inside a supermarket with plenty of food.

"Munchlax? Munchlax!" Munchlax exclaimed.

"Darn, Munchlax you need to get back in your ball!" May said frantically.

Munchlax looked up at the guy standing next to her, and noticed that he was holding a bag of gummy bears. Without hesitation, Munchlax leaped off the ground and grabbed the bag out of his hands.

"Hey, those are mine!" Ross shouted.

Munchlax ignored the man and opened the top of the bag, and without shame dropped all the gummy bears into his mouth. The Pokemon chewed quite sloppily in front of Ross, who was kind of pissed off about his favorite fruit snacks being eaten.

"Hey! Don't you have a leash on this thing or something?" Ross said, angrily, "It just ate my entire gummy bears!"

"MUNCHLAX!" May shouted, struggling to get its Pokeball out of her fanny pack.

Munchlax looked around the aisle and spotted some delicious watermelon sitting on the counter. It quickly ran over to them while slobbering all over the place with its mouth. Before it could get a hold of the watermelon however, May retracted it into its ball. The red beam of light struck Munchlax just as its hand was an inch away from the watermelon, and the poor Pokemon was recalled.

May held the ball to her face disappointingly. "Munchlax, you can't eat stuff before buying it," she sighed.

"Especially my fruit snacks," Ross scoffed.

"I'm…I'm sorry," May apologized, somewhat uneasily, "I – I can buy you another bag to make up for Munchlax eating the first…as much as I hate to do this."

Ross grinned with a devious smile. He knew the perfect opportunity arose, it was time to do take advantage of the poor, naive girl. He was going to blackmail her.

"Here's the deal, get me one of your father's badges, and I'll pretend your Munchlax never ate my candy," Ross said.

"That's crazy! I'm not trading you something as valuable as a Gym badge for a pack of candy!" May yelled, "I'll just buy you a new bag to replace the old one, and that's that."

"Let me put it this way, you don't want to get on my bad side," Ross warned.

"You're an idiot. Never mind, maybe I won't even bother with buying you a replacement bag for the gummy bears. I have to return to my mother now, go make yourself useful and ram yourself into a wall or something," May scoffed.

May walked down the aisle herself as Ross watched her from afar. He smiled confidently, while twirling the gold chain in front of his chest.

_Her mother is here too? That's interesting, thanks for telling me that, girl, _Ross said to himself.

Near the front of the store, May met up with her mother again and began placing things out of her wagon and into the other one. After chatting briefly with her Mom about unrelated events, she looked back over at the aisles to see if Ross was still following her. Her eyes scanned everywhere in the close vicinity, and he was nowhere around. To her relief, she hoped that he just gave up.

After finishing their purchases in the supermarket, May and Caroline wheeled the wagon into the parking lot and filled up the trunk of the car with the groceries. Unbeknownst to them, Ross was spying on their car from afar. As the mother and daughter were placing packages inside the trunk, Ross was snapping pictures of them with his digital camera. He was standing in between the ferns on the other side of the parking lot, and since it was dark out, he blended in nicely with the background. His dark clothes also kept him relatively well hidden from the girls.

As Caroline slammed the trunk down, she noticed a couple of flashes come from somewhere. She turned around curiously to see where they came from, but she was unable to spot anything.

"Hm, that's funny," Caroline said, uncertainly.

"What's the matter?" May asked.

Caroline glanced around the lot for a few more moments.

"Um, nothing. Nothing, let's go home," Caroline replied.

They entered the car and proceeded to drive off the parking lot, but not before Ross took a couple more photos of them in the windows. As they left the premises, Ross stepped out of the shadows and viewed the pictures that were stored on the memory of the digital camera. He flipped through the shots, and cackled after viewing each one. There were about nine photos in all that he managed to take, most of them featuring Caroline in prominent view.

"Norman's wife is such a fox," Ross said to himself, "How can such a loser like that guy manage to get such a hot wife?"

He muttered some more to himself before slipping his camera back into his pocket. He took out a Pokeball and released it in front of him. The light formed into his Sableye, the same goblin Pokemon he tried to defeat Norman's Slaking with.

"Sableye, I have a new job for you," Ross said, crossing his arms.

"Sableye!" Sableye replied, nodding obediently.

"We're still going to get that Gym badge no matter what it takes, but perhaps we can have a little fun with Norman's family in the meantime, eh? Heh, I'll show that loser Norman not to mess with me," Ross grinned.

"Sableye, Sableye," Sabeleye agreed.

~*~*~*~

"How about you let me on top this time?" Ash asked.

"No, it's my room and I set the rules, mister! I prefer you on the bottom," May giggled.

"I don't mind being here, really, but it's more comfortable the other way around," he said.

"I know it is, but like I said, it's my room! You're lucky that Mom agreed to let you sleep in here in the first place!" she exclaimed.

"PIKACHU PIKA!" Pikachu screamed.

"You're upsetting Pikachu, May!" Ash said.

"No I'm not, he just wants you to stop yelling!"

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu said, irritably.

"Pikachu, calm down a bit," Ash motioned.

Caroline knocked on the closed door. "Is everything alright in there?" she asked.

May turned to Ash and lowered her voice. "Now you're getting Mom suspicious, way to go," she said sarcastically.

"Fine, I guess," Ash sulked.

"Everything is OK, Mom!" May yelled out.

"I hear a lot of screaming, are you sure?" Caroline asked, putting her ear to the door.

"Sure!" May replied anxiously.

May and Ash were in their sleeping clothes, getting ready to call it a night. She was sitting on her bed while Ash was down below in his sleeping bag with Pikachu. She got up off her bed to say goodnight to her Mom face to face, but Ash noticed she was about to step on Pikachu's tail. Before Ash could warn her, she stepped on the poor electric type's tail, forcing the Pokemon to unleash an electric attack against its will. Ash and May were caught in the blast, as the room was encompassed by Pikachu's electricity. Caroline noticed the seams of the door glow in a yellow hue, and wondered what the heck was going on in there.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu panted, having unleashed too much electricity.

Ash and May were fried by the attack, their sleepwear having several burnt marks scattered about.

"You need to watch out where you're going," Ash grunted, falling back on his sleeping bag.

"I think I'll take your advice to heart," May replied, holding her ears and trying to get the ringing out of her ears.

"Chu, pika," Pikachu sighed.

"Next time, Ash, let's not fight about the sleeping arrangements, ok?" May asked rhetorically.

"I kind of miss sleeping in a comfy bed, but if you say so, I'll sleep on my sleeping bag on the floor. Like I said, I hate being on the bottom," Ash sighed.

"You were fine the first night, why the big deal now?"

"I think it's something to do with this floor, the tile hurts my back," Ash said, rubbing his lower back with his hand.

"Through your sleeping bag?" May asked, as she raised an eye brow.

"Hehe, yeah," Ash said, smiling.

Caroline knocked on the door once more. "Are you two ok in there?" she asked.

"Wuh? Mom, you're still there!?" May asked, startled.

"Sure I am, you never answered the door," Caroline reminded her.

Pikachu jumped into the sleeping bag next to Ash, as May walked toward the door and opened it a crack. She opened the door only slightly so her mother couldn't see the inside of the room. She thought it would be better not to upset her if she knew that Pikachu's electricity managed to ruin some of the furniture.

"Everything is fine, Mom, Max is sleeping already?" she asked, hoping to draw the subject away from herself.

"I assume so, he went in his room a while ago," Caroline said. She sniffed the air around her and noticed the burnt smell. "Did something happen with Ash's Pikachu?" she asked.

"Uh…hehe, you can say that. It's nothing serious though!" May said sheepishly.

Caroline chuckled, she could tell her daughter was lying right through her face.

"Whatever, I'm sure you'll show me in the morning," Caroline said uneasily, fearing that the whole room was scorched. She bent down and gave May a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight dear, and remember not to wake your roommate up with your snoring."

"Hey, Ash is usually the one who snores and wakes me up!" May retaliated.

"No I don't!" Ash yelled from inside the room.

May and Caroline sweat dropped, exchanged a few comments, and then shut the door. May walked back toward Ash with her hands on a hips, the entire room did have the smell of burnt wood.

"It's starting to smell really awful in here, I might as well open a window," Ash said, getting up from the sleeping bag.

May pulled on her burnt t-shirt and raised it to her nose, her clothes smelled awful as well. Unfortunately for Ash, he only had one set of sleeping clothes with him, in which he had to stay in his fried t-shirt and sleeping shorts. May on the other hand had a wide range of apparel in her room, and could change to another pair of clothes quickly.

As Ash was walking to the other side of the room to raise the windows, May knew she could change real quick without much commotion. She wasn't wearing anything underneath her sleepwear, but it was easier to change in the room than to run outside the hall to the bathroom. She sheepishly walked over to her dresser and pulled out another pair of shorts and a t-shirt, while she heard Ash raise the window.

"Ah, now we can get some fresh air in here!" Ash said, raising the window, taking a huge sniff of the air from outside.

"Just stay there looking out the window for a moment, Ash, I want to change my clothes real quick," May said, holding her apparel.

"Hm? Why?" Ash asked, turning around.

"I don't think I'll enjoy sleeping in clothes that smell like smoke, Ash, I need to change, see?" May smiled, holding up her clothes for Ash to see.

It took Ash about half a minute to realize what she was getting at, and then he nervously turned around and looked out the window again.

May looked down at Pikachu who still lie contently in the bag.

"Do I have to say the same to you too?!" May mused.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu shook his head, and then timidly ran over toward Ash by the window.

The human and Pokemon stared outside with embarrassed expressions on, as May stood near the closet on the opposite end of the room and slipped off her clothes.

"Do you think you could find me another pair of clothes too, after you're done changing?" Ash asked, still staring outside.

She pulled her new white T-shirt over her head before tossing her smoked clothes into the hamper near the door. Fully changed, May pushed her hands through her long hair before pulling on the bottom of her tight black shorts a tad. She walked next to Ash and lowered her nose to his shoulder. She took one sniff of his shirt and then backed away in disgust.

"Yuck, your clothes smell awful," May said, waving her hand over her nose.

"Yeah, and it's your fault too," Ash winked.

"Chu, pika," Pikachu sighed.

"No, he's right Pikachu, you don't need to apologize about releasing the electricity," May said, comforting the little rodent, "I really need to watch where I'm going."

She thought to herself for a moment and quickly came up with an idea.

"I'll go run out and see if I can grab an extra pair of sleeping clothes from my Dad. You just need a new T-shirt, right? I can get you one of my Dad's for the night," May offered.

"Well I could use a new pair of shorts too," Ash said, looking down at his knees, "But I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable wearing one of your Dad's!"

May giggled, "Nah, I'll just get you a new T-shirt. Hopefully with our old clothes in the hamper and with the fresh air in the room, this place won't smell as bad for the rest of the night."

Ash agreed to the idea, and was relieved to be able to sleep in a clean set of sleepwear. After she left the room, he rested his head on his hand and continue to stare at the night sky through the windowsill.

"It's a beautiful night, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"I'm glad that May suggested the idea to get a new shirt from her father, it sure beats sleeping with this charcoal-like smell on my clothes. She's always so helpful and kind, she's a great friend," Ash noted.

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted.

Pikachu jumped on the windowsill and slapped Ash gently in the cheek with his paw.

"Chu, Piika!" Pikachu reminded him anxiously.

"Hm?" Ash asked, confused, "Oh right! I mean she's a great _girlfriend." _

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, which could be translated as, "Damn straight."

Ash chuckled. "It's still so weird to think of her like that now, you know, Pikachu? I still think of her more as my best friend than I do as a…what do you call that again?"

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted irritably.

"Yeah….that's right, "girlfriend." Thanks, buddy!" Ash said.

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu sighed in disbelief.

"Heh, I guess the feeling just hasn't sunk in yet. She's been a close friend for so long that sometimes I forget that there's something more between us now. I really do like her a lot, but this is going to take some time getting used to. I've never…dated...a girl before, but since we're always traveling together, I guess there's no real difference, is there?" Ash asked. He lowered his voice and pushed his hand through his dark mane of hair. "I'm kind of nervous about the whole thing, I'd be lying if I said I was perfectly comfortable with it."

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu cooed.

"By the way, Pikachu, did…you release that Thunderbolt on purpose?" Ash asked, slyly.

"Pika?!" Pikachu denied, frantically.

"Tell the truth, now!" Ash grinned.

"Chaaaaaa," Pikachu chortled, and nodded.

"I knew it!" Ash exclaimed, "May didn't even step on your tail that hard and you unleashed a Thunderbolt attack! I noticed you managed to control the electricity well, so that while it didn't destroy anything in the room, it still gave it that faint smell of smoke and burnt furniture. So you DID release that attack on purpose…but what was the point?"

Pikachu pulled on the sleeve of Ash's shirt, with a mischievous expression.

"You wanted to get us to change in front of each other! What!?" Ash shouted, "You're not trying to help our romance, are you?"

"PIKACHU!"

The bedroom door suddenly slammed open as May walked in with one of her Dad's T-shirts on her arm.

"Pikachu, you're a small little devil!" May exclaimed, "I just heard that whole last bit of your conversation, Ash! I think Pikachu is trying to set us up!"

"Pikachu, pika, chu, pika!" Pikachu shook his head feverishly.

May placed the new t-shirt on the bed and hovered over Pikachu overbearingly. She scrunched up her nose and began to lecture Pikachu about how while it had good intentions, it was going about it the wrong way.

"Pikachu, you didn't really have to pull a stunt like that just to get me and Ash to like each other more," May sighed, "There are…uh…other ways to do that. Besides, some of the furniture in here is still fried, and my Mom is going to be furious. I don't know what to say other than to place the blame on Ash, because you are his Pokemon after all."

"Hey! It's not like I told Pikachu to do this!" Ash said, annoyed.

"What else can I say? Unless you want to explain to my Mom that Pikachu wants us to change in front of one another!" May argued.

During the argument, Pikachu snuck its way behind May without them noticing. Ash was standing next to his sleeping bag now, and held Norman's t-shirt in his hand. May and Ash were standing a few feet apart, both somewhat enjoying the bickering, oddly enough.

"Pika," Pikachu shook its head.

"I don't think I should be taking the blame though, Pikachu was just…uh…"

"…helping us out?" May concluded.

"Possibly. Anyway, it would be nice if we could get some rest now, after all this nonsense," Ash said.

May sighed, "I agree, I want to wake up nice and early tomorrow too. Do…do you still want to sleep on my bed for tonight? If it's alright with you, I'll switch places and sleep in the sleeping bag instead."

"Pika?"Pikachu said to himself, noticing that May was in perfect position.

"Really? Why the change in heart?" Ash asked.

"I don't know, maybe I realized I shouldn't be so bossy or whatever," May said, "You want the bed?"

"Ok," Ash replied.

"Pikachu!"

Before May walked out of the way, Pikachu jumped into the air and did a headbutt against her backside in an attempt to get her to fall. She did so accordingly, as May fell down into Ash on top of the sleeping bag.

"Pikachu," Pikachu snapped its fingers.

May lie on top of Ash completely bewildered, both resting on the sleeping bag. She picked up her head feverishly to look back at Pikachu, who was already chuckling. Pikachu hopped on top of May's bed, and made itself at home on her pillow.

"I think Pikachu just claimed your bed for himself!" Ash said, sitting up a tad while May still rested in his arms.

"Geez, I didn't know Pikachu could be so mischievous!" May said, astounded.

She turned back toward Ash and gently pushed him back down on the sleeping bag. She rested her head on his chest and smiled contently. The smell of his burnt clothes filled the vicinity, but May didn't seem to mind anymore.

"What about your Dad's T-shirt? This shirt smells, remember?" Ash reminded her.

"Who cares," she replied, "Now that I'm resting on you, I have the smell on my new clothes too. Guess there was no point to that plan."

"And the sleeping arrangements?" Ash asked, raising May in his arms as they looked at one another.

There was a brief silence, a small hesitation before May moved in and kissed the boy softly. Their lips only touched for a few seconds, but that was all she wanted.

"I think I like the sleeping arrangements the way they are right now," she smiled, resting herself on Ash's shoulder, "It's really comfortable here."

Pikachu cackled to itself as it raised its head to see May resting on Ash contently. Its first plan may have raised some ruckus, but the second one was for the win.

"There's going to be one problem with us sleeping like this though," May said, softly.

"What's that?"

"We're going to absolutely stink tomorrow morning," May snickered, moving her hand gently along Ash's burnt shirt.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

The bright sunlight radiated the room in the early morning, reminding the young couple that they only had a few more precious seconds of sleep remaining. Throughout the tosses and turns of the night, May and Ash had shifted positions while sleeping a number of times. Ash was resting on his side, with his legs inside the sleeping bag and his arms behind the pillow. May was sleeping to the left of him, with her legs on top of the sleeping bag and resting on her back. She had her arm over her forehead, while her silky brown hair tickled Ash's nose while they slept. Since the pair were sleeping closely, her hair made his nose twitch during the night. The boy even ended up sneezing a few times during the night because of her hair, amusingly enough.

Aside from sleeping next to her brother when she was very young, May had never slept so closely to another boy before. Ash and May had their sleepwear on of course, but she felt the warmth of his body as they slept, and it made her feel content and secure. He was there for her, and vice versa. They felt emotionally attached knowing that the person they cared for was safe, and in close proximity. Nobody could disturb the peace and tranquility of the room, nothing…except the annoying ray of sunlight and one other party.

Ash scrunched up his face as he felt something licking his cheek, and combined with the annoying sunlight that bothered his eyes, the boy had no choice but to wake up from slumber land. He moved his hand around tiredly to try and push away whatever was licking him, and lifted his head up while waiting for his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room.

"Pikaaaaa," Pikachu cooed softly.

Ash raised himself up while leaning on his elbows, and yawned before rubbing his eyes once more. When he opened them again, Pikachu's bright smile was the first thing to greet him. Without saying a word, Ash smiled and let the small Pokemon crawl into his arms. He stroked Pikachu's yellow coat contently, while it snuggled its face into Ash's chest. The two were closely knit, and it was confirmed that their bond would not break even when love for another was entered in the equation.

Ash looked down to his left and saw the sweet girl still sleeping contently. Her hair was a mess, just like it always was when she slept. Like always however, she was still an adorable looking girl, one whose smile could cheer up even the most depressed individual. While Ash watched her breathing softly, he was reminded of the time he did the same thing when they were back at Atona beach. He just watched her sleep peacefully back then too, and he received the same feelings of warmth and passion from her. Only this time however, he knew what he was feeling. He loved this girl, there was no easier way to express the feelings in his heart. It may have taken a long time, but he was finally able to understand what he felt without being confused or unable to accept them. He was still nervous about the idea of a girlfriend and where this would lead him, but he was just content knowing that she was his.

Ash thanked Pikachu for being so considerate to let May sleep next to him rather than itself. Pikachu and Ash had always slept close together, whether it be in the same bed or in the same sleeping bag, the two enjoyed being in each others company for the night. This time however, was the first time Pikachu contently allowed another person to sleep near Ash, and instead slept contently up on May's bed instead. Whether Ash knew it or not, Pikachu was quite thrilled at the idea of May being a love interest, and it wanted to help out if need be. Pikachu being close to May might have also had something to do with it, as the little Pokemon liked May almost as much as Ash. Perhaps Pikachu could sense the same kind of spirit and vigor inside May as it did its own trainer, and that's why it was pleased at the idea of the two together.

The clock was ticking, but Ash decided to let May sleep a little longer. He leaned down toward her, and without making a sound, gently stroked her forehead and pushed her hair out of her eyes. The girl muttered something in her sleep and turned her head slightly. Ash smiled warmly at her, it was as if waking her would be a shame.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Caroline was sitting in her bathrobe reading a newspaper. Ash, after taking a shower and getting fully dressed, walked downstairs to get a bite to eat. When Ash and Caroline spotted each other, both were a tad embarrassed. Caroline was only in a bathrobe with nothing on underneath, and it was an embarrassing sight to see the mother of your girlfriend wearing so little. Ash blushed heavily and apologized before scampering out of the room, but Caroline got up and reassured him that it was alright. She explained how she always came downstairs in her bathrobe during the morning as routine, but now with Ash staying over at the house too, she somewhat forgot that routine had to be broken.

She told Ash that he could help himself in the kitchen and make whatever he wanted as she walked upstairs to the second floor. Ash breathed a sign of relief as Pikachu chortled, and the two quickly went to the refrigerator to fix themselves a bite. Since Caroline and May just went to the supermarket yesterday, the fridge was packed, much to Ash's delight, and he started preparing himself something that was way too big to be considered breakfast…for any other normal person at least.

Caroline walked up the last step to the second floor, where all three of the bedrooms were located. Before she went back to her own room, she decided to check up on May on her own, curious about the electric show she almost witnessed yesterday. The door was unlocked, so she gently pushed it open. The smell of smoke and charcoal was gone, but the slight damage to some of the furniture remained. Some of the dressers and drawers had scorch marks on them, much to Caroline's dismay. She then took a peek in the hamper against the wall, and picked up May's fried shorts and t-shirts. She sighed and dropped them back inside before walking over to May, who curiously enough, was sleeping in Ash's sleeping bag rather than her bed. The thought of Ash and May sleeping next to one another never crossed her mind however, as she knew the two kids were too sweet and innocent to even think of such a thing. She just believed that May was being generous and allowed Ash to sleep in her bed this time, which would have actually been the case, if Pikachu's plan never came into fruition. She noticed her daughter was sleeping peacefully, thus she smiled contently while leaving the room and shut the door so she could sleep longer.

Ten or so minutes later, Caroline returned downstairs in her usual orange and brown dress. What she returned to was a shock however, as the entire kitchen table was filled with food on various plates…and they were all going to be eaten by Ash! Ash sat there with a fork and knife in his hands, a napkin tucked under his shirt, and a happy-go-lucky expression on as he cut himself some pancakes. On the plates nearby was some toast, scrambled eggs, cereal with milk, two bananas, an orange, a slice of cherry pie, some cream cheese, a box of peanuts, and a couple glasses of grape juice.

Ash clenched his teeth as he smiled at the dumbstruck mother. "My Mom always said that you can start the day off right with a big breakfast! I hope you don't mind," Ash said happily, chomping down another pancake in one bite.

"Oh, no of course not, help yourself," Caroline said politely, closing her eyes and grinning.

"I'll make sure to leave some over for May, don't worry!" Ash said while stuffing himself.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

"Oh boy," Caroline said quietly, "I sure hope Ash's love for food hasn't rubbed off on May in some way. If she became a glutton too, they'll eat us out of house and home. Ah well, at least Max doesn't go overboard."

After a hefty and rather large breakfast, Ash ran outside the Gym to do a little training. He started challenging some random trainers who walked by to a battle, and after they accepted, Ash beat every single one of them. Pikachu made short work of its opponents, as the opposing Pokemon ended up fainting after one or two Thunderbolts. Ash was pleased with his victories, and continued to train some more by himself while waiting for everyone else to wake up.

Shortly thereafter, May and Max were fully dressed in their regular attire and ready to take a stroll through Petalburg City with Ash. It was their hometown after all, and May and Max already knew some of the best places to hang out and visit. May, of course, was eager to do some shopping, and almost begged Ash and Max to come with her to the shopping departments that she considered to be the best in all of Petalburg City. The two boys desperately tried to wiggle their way out of it, as there was nothing more boring than to tag along with a female who loved to shop, but May got too excited and dragged the poor boys by the arms with her into the shopping stores anyway. Ash and Max sighed in despair together, as they knew the next hour or so would be excruciating, especially since she dragged them into a clothing store. If they could somehow manage to survive May spending an hour looking at clothes, they hoped to look around the mall themselves and see what the other stores had to offer.

"HEY!" May scowled, "You two aren't even paying attention!"

May stood posing for the boys in a yellow tank top, a white belt, and a turquoise mini-skirt, the apparel she changed into in the fitting room. Ash, Max and Pikachu sat on the bench next to the fitting room, all three of them bored out of their minds.

"Well, what do you guys think?" May asked again, holding her head up and strutting her body at them.

"May, you're boring me to tears," Max said bluntly.

"Who cares? Anyway, Ash you think I look good, don't you? You have to at least be somewhat interested in what I wear, right?" May asked enthusiastically.

"I don't know, whatever you wear is fine, really!" Ash said, somewhat disinterested.

"Hm, you guys aren't being very good reviewers," May sighed. She looked at herself in the mirror and did a little twirl, admiring herself in the cute mini-skirt. "I think I look adorable in this, I'm definitely going to buy it!"

"With whose money?" Max asked.

"With my money of course, why ask such a question?" May retorted.

"Meh, forget it. I'm just wondering if there's anything around here I can spend my $100 on," Max said.

"That's right, I almost forgot you still had the money I gave you," Ash said, "Your mother put the other $200 of it in the bank, right?"

"Yep, so I'm at least grateful she's letting me spend this amount in the first place," Max said happily.

"I never bought you that replacement Premium Ball either, I'm sorry, Max," Ash said, "If I see one in this mall, I'll definitely get it for you. I want to make up for Latrommi's Premium Ball going rogue and being smashed to pieces."

"Thanks, Ash, makes me wish May would hurry up and get done even more, I want to check out the other stores!" Max squealed.

"Heh, ok. I think I've tortured you two enough," May said, "If you want, Max, you can go along with Ash to the other parts of the mall."

"Really? Thanks a lot, May!" Max said excitedly, jumping up from the bench.

"Ash, make sure not to lose my little brother, ok?" she instructed.

"I won't, it's more likely that Max will end up losing me!" Ash said.

"You guys need to cut this kid stuff, I can take care of myself too you know," Max said snobbishly, "C'mon, Ash, let's get going."

Ash, Pikachu and Max ran off together, as far away from the clothing stores as possible, to hopefully catch something that might be of relative interest. A beautiful fountain of water was in the center of the mall, it was all white with a statue of a Gyarados on top that the water poured out of. The water flowed out of the tip of the mouth, and poured down into the stream below filled with lily pads and roses. Pikachu found the fountain to be very pretty, as did Ash and Max, who decided to admire it for a while before moving on.

"Ash, can I ask you something?" Max asked.

Ash looked at the boy who seemed to be curious about something. "What is it?"

Max took a deep breath. "Yesterday when my Dad pulled you inside his room to speak with you alone, was he talking about the future of the Petalburg Gym?"

"Norman did talk to me about the Gym, it got kind of complicated from there though," Ash sighed.

"Oh, so he didn't mention me at all, did he? Shame, Dad must still think I'm not ready," Max frowned.

He walked over to the fountain and gazed at his reflection in the water. Ash walked beside him and sat on the edge of the fountain. Before Max elaborated, Ash already knew where the conversation would lead. Therefore, he decided not to go into detail about what Norman and he discussed. If Max knew that Norman would offer the position of the Gym leader to Ash over his own son, it would hurt the boy a lot. Ash was still taken back that Norman picked him over his own flesh and blood, but Max really did have a lot of growing up to do. If Norman decided to put Max through the same kind of trial to become a Gym leader that his father put him through, Max would have to be in a very tight situation.

"He saw me referee the match at the Gym yesterday, I know all about the rules of battling and which Pokemon to use, and Dad even knows that I'd love to become the Gym leader when I get older," Max said frustrated, "Why does he never make an effort to accept me as a valid candidate?"

"Hey, calm down, Max!" Ash said, trying to comfort the boy, "Your father told me himself that he's aware of your dream to become the new Petalburg Gym leader. These things don't happen overnight, Max, they take time. It's fairly obvious that he's waiting till you become a trainer before he even talks to you about it, so why get so angry now?"

"I won't be able to become a trainer for another year, but that doesn't mean he still can't help prepare me for it in the meantime," Max pouted, "If Dad knows I want to take over the Gym in the future, why is he not teaching me things so I can get a head start? Before I met you, Ash, as you know my Dad never even let me watch his Gym matches, because he was afraid I would distract his opponents. I understand that while I'm traveling with you, Dad can't help teach me because I'm away, but I'm home now! May said we're only going to stay home for another couple of days, so why doesn't Dad take advantage of what precious time we have together? I love playing with Slakoth and Vigoroth in the greenhouse, but simply playing with them is not the same thing as training with them. Why is Dad waiting for the last possible minute?"

"I'm…not sure what to say, Max, he's your father so I can't say I know what's going on in his head. I think he means well and wants the best for you and your sister, but he's being very…what's the word?"

"Prudent?" Max said, looking up at Ash.

"Uh…I'm not sure what that word means but it sounds like it fits the situation!" Ash grinned dubiously.

Max laughed, "Dad is just being too cautious and overbearing. It's incredibly annoying that he knows what I want to do yet he's too protective or laid back to do anything about it. At this rate I was surprised he allowed me to referee the match you had with him yesterday instead of Kenny."

"Why don't you ever talk to him about it?" Ash asked.

"Are you crazy? If I ask my Dad about it that might screw me out of my only chance to have the Gym in the future! I don't want to push my luck, yet at the same time, I can't help like feeling this is a missed opportunity."

"Max," Ash cooed, no matter how long they knew one another, he was still surprised with how incredibly mature Max was.

Max took his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes before placing them back on. He stepped away from the fountain and motioned for Ash to walk with him. Pikachu hopped back on Ash's shoulder as they followed him through the mall.

"Can I say one more thing, Ash? I know this topic is probably boring you, but I want to get it off my chest," Max said.

"I'm all ears, Max, don't forget that. I'm more than happy to listen to you!" Ash said, "Pikachu will always be there for you too!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.

Max started to blush nervously. "I just want to say that you're a great contrast to my father, Ash," Max said, slightly embarrassed, "I've…I've learned so much from watching your battles and how understanding you are with your Pokemon. The fact that you actually explain things to me when I ask about them and always listen to me is what I like about you a lot, too. You've been like a big brother to me during our journey together, and well…when I become a trainer, I really want you to become my mentor."

Ash was shocked, "You're totally serious about that?"

"Sure am," Max nodded, "You mentored my sister during the start of her journey, remember? You taught her all about Pokemon and exposed her to a world of battling that she originally despised. Even though the two of you are in totally different fields, you being a trainer going for Gyms and my sister being a coordinator going for ribbons, you've managed to teach her so much that she's now getting so far into all her Grand Festivals. I want to have the same kind of dynamic with you that my sister had, I really want you as my teacher."

"You're flattering me, Max," Ash blushed, "You always gave me the impression that you would travel by yourself when you became a trainer, do you really want to continue traveling with me instead?"

"I do. God knows I'll never be able to get this kind of training from my Dad, despite him being the Gym leader and all. And traveling with an experienced trainer like you sure beats traveling by myself without anyone to help point out my mistakes. If my sister continues to travel with you too, then it'll be just the three of us together, all working toward our goals but with you being there for us every step of the way," Max bemused.

"Wow," Ash thought.

"So you agree then?" Max asked impatiently.

"I…I…y-eah, of course! I'll be glad to mentor you, Max," Ash said, "I think it's a good idea."

"Thank you, Ash, it means a lot to me," Max said happily, "One thing though, is when you become my mentor, you can't act all silly and clueless like you are now."

"What?!"

"You need to be confident and never crack jokes unless they have secret words of wisdom in them. Oh, and you'll need to shave your head too so you look old and wise," Max concluded.

Ash closed one eye and grunted, "Maybe I spoke a little too soon about accepting this mentor role…"

"Ha, I'm just kidding! You can stay just as naïve as you are now, you won't even have to learn what words like "prudent" mean either. You can just be Ash, and that's fine with me," Max boasted.

"Sometimes, I wonder," Ash rolled his eyes.

~*~*~*~

Ash and Max had met up with May again an hour or so later, after they scanned the rest of the stores in the mall with little of interest to spend money on. The trio were now enjoying their ice cream cones, as they were baking in the sun while sitting on some concrete steps outside the mall. The siblings were sitting a few steps down near the bottom, while Ash and Pikachu were sitting near the top by the railings. May and Max were both eating vanilla ice cream with sprinkles, while Ash was sharing his chocolate cone with Pikachu.

Ash watched the siblings eat their cones ahead of him, as he realized quite a bit about them. He spoke softly to Pikachu so they wouldn't overhead his conversation.

"It's not just May, Pikachu, I really am becoming important to their entire family," Ash realized, as he licked the side of the ice cream.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu nodded.

"Norman said he already considered me to be part of the family, I get along with Caroline really well, Max sees me as a big brother and wants me to mentor him in the future," Ash said, noting the family members.

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted.

"Yeah, and then there's May of course," Ash smiled affectionately, "I care for her a great deal, she's become very special to me."

Pikachu took a lick of the cone while Ash's eyes were glued on the siblings from afar.

"I've…never been in a situation like this before, Pikachu, it's kind of overwhelming," Ash confessed, "May said she loves me and her family is fond of and expects great things from me. I…I can't disappoint any of them. It's like in addition to my Mom, I'm getting an entire second family entered into everything."

"Pi-pikachu, chu," Pikachu cooed.

"I know, Brock would definitely be able to reassure me at a time like this. Funny, I've always considered Brock to be my mentor, and now that he's gone, I feel like I've moved into that role myself. Brock did a heck of a lot better job than I ever will though, he knew exactly how to keep us out of trouble and set us on the right path if trouble was brewing. Plus he knew how to cook, and I can't cook to save my life."

Pikachu chortled.

"I hope we hear from Brock again soon, I wonder if Tana and Jamie are still really attached to him. It would be nice to hear what he would say about all this, even though I'd probably be incredibly embarrassed to even talk to him about it in the first place," Ash said, "I wonder what Brock would say if he knew how strongly I feel about May now, how much she means to me…it's kind of crazy to think about."

Ash turned to Pikachu and scratched his buddy behind the ears. Pikachu cooed as it cocked its head.

"You'll always remain my best buddy, Pikachu, and thanks for listening to all this gibberish. I don't have anyone else to tell this stuff to, I'm glad you're here," Ash confessed, "Maybe one day when I get used to all this, I'll be able to say all this stuff to May instead. It still feels a little awkward to confess how I feel about the whole situation to her, as much as I want to."

Max was licking the side of his ice cream but the cone accidentally wobbled out of his hands. The entire cone fell to the floor and cracked. Max pouted as his ice cream fell to the floor, but May said that he could have hers. She handed her ice cream cone to him and let him finish the rest. Max thanked her for it and didn't hesitate to gobble what remained of the vanilla ice cream. May licked her fingers and smiled gleefully at her brother.

Ash watched contently, and leaned back on the step, "Norman wanted me to continue looking after his children too. Pikachu, do you think Norman would be mad at me if he knew that May and I…?"

"Chu, pikachu, pika!" Pikachu shook his head.

"Heh, you're probably right. Even though Norman just thinks we're best friends, he probably would be fine with the idea of May liking me," Ash said, fondly looking at May in the distance. Her brown hair was glimmering in the sunshine, her face filled with hope and innocence. Ash almost felt himself lost while staring at her, as if he was being pulled toward her without realizing it. He blinked and then continued to talk to Pikachu. "Jeez. It's almost like she's a whole new person now, best friend May is gone, and now she's girlfriend May instead. This is really crazy."

"Pika, pika,"

Ash stretched out his arms and legs and tried to relieve himself of his anxiety. Perhaps the last couple of days have been too overwhelming for Ash Ketchum, and everything was finally catching up to him.

"Ash!" May shouted.

"WUH?" Ash said, startled.

"Max is done with his ice cream, you wanna get going?" she asked.

"Uh, sure!" Ash said, handing his full cone over to Pikachu. The Pokemon politely decided to finish it off as Ash walked down the steps with May and her brother.

May pulled Ash by the arm and whispered into his ear. "When we get home, I'll show you the present I bought for you."

Ash looked at her, bewildered.

"I told you I wasn't going to just let you buy me that Skitty/Torchic bikini without me getting you something in return. Don't look so shocked, Ash, you're creeping me out," May smiled.

"I…ugh…uh," Ash shook his head, "Uh, thank you!"

"I'm sorry that I couldn't spend as much on your present as you did for mine, and its only a really small one, but I hope you'll like it," May said, as she moved closer and kissed his cheek tenderly, "Now c'mon, before Max thinks we're up to something."

May stepped away from him and ran down the rest of the steps toward her brother who was looking down the street. Ash stood there flabbergasted, waiting for someone to give him some moral support. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and snickered.

"This…really is overwhelming," Ash gasped, "If I ever end up losing it because of all this, I hope you'll snap me out of it with a Thunderbolt, Pikachu."

Pikachu agreed, "Pikachu!"

"ASH!" May and Max shouted.

"What are you waiting for, we'll miss the trolley that takes us home!" Max shouted.

"Yeah, and we need to load our packages on the thing too, hurry up!" May added.

"Oh boy," Ash slapped his forehead, as he ran down the steps to catch up to the weary siblings.

~*~*~*

The trolley let the kids off a few blocks away from the Petalburg Gym, so they had to walk the rest of the way from there. May had one big shopping bag in her right arm, filled with the clothes she bought for herself and a little token of her appreciation for Ash. The bag was kind of heavy for the girl, and since Ash was unaware of what being a gentlemen was like, he never offered to hold the bag for her. May didn't mind however, as the thought never came to her to ask Ash to hold it either.

Standing on a streetlight over their heads, the small impish Sableye spotted them walking. Its jeweled eyes showed the reflection of the children, it had a sly intention in league with its trainer for the travelers. It lowered its body as it hung from the bottom of the streetlight like an ape, and then jumped to the side of the store shops across from it. Sableye's body allowed it to walk sideways across walls, and the goblin quickly scampered across the side of the shops to meet up with its trainer again.

Against the wall in an alley, Ross had just finished smoking and dropped his cigarette to the floor. He stepped on top of the cigarette to put it out, and looked out at the open streets at the people passing by. Once he spotted a middle-aged woman holding a rather large pocketbook, he knew she was his next target. He grinned sneakily, waiting for his moment to put his plan into action. Before he walked out of the alley to follow the woman, Sableye returned and jumped off the side of the building.

"Sableye! Sableye!" Sableye informed him.

"Not now, Sableye, tell me later. We have another target," he said confidently, pointing toward the middle-aged business woman.

"Sableye!" the Pokemon uttered, spying the woman from afar.

"Yeah, that's the one. You remember what to do, right?" Ross asked.

Sableye nodded. It started to form a dark ball of energy in its hands, after its jeweled eyes registered what the woman's pocketbook looked like. The dark sphere of energy began to form into an object, as the Pokemon was concentrating on getting the shape of the object just right. Ross quickly peered down the street hoping that the woman didn't get too far, but to his relief, she stopped at a store window and began to admire the clothing behind the glass.

"Excellent, she stopped to look at some clothes. Heh, women are all the same," Ross snickered, "You must hurry, Sableye!"

In a blinding flash, the object in Sableye's hands resembled the brown pocketbook that the business woman was holding, right down to every last detail.

"You made sure it's the proper weight too, right? We need them to be identical in every sense of the word," Ross instructed, "Your Substitute attack sure works great, I'm glad you were able to perfect it."

"Sableye, eye!" Sableye nodded, handing Ross the brown pocketbook that it had fabricated.

"Incredible, it feels and looks just like the real thing. Now let's hope that woman actually has something of worth in hers, or else this'll be a dull switch," Ross said.

Ross walked out of the alley holding the fake pocketbook, while Sableye crawled sideways across the storefront walls. The unsuspecting woman was still admiring the clothing in the store windows, unaware of what was about to befall her. When Ross was standing next to the woman, he looked up at his Sableye and nodded. Sableye flashed its eyes to use the attack, Confuse Ray, in which it aimed it squarely at the woman.

"Ugh," the woman grunted. She brushed her forehead as she felt a bit dizzy. A few seconds later, she started to lose her balance.

Right before the woman fell, Sableye quickly used its Fake Out attack to hover her pocketbook off her shoulder and into the air. The floating pocketbook was quickly turned invisible by some light tricks and optical illusions known only by the small impish Pokemon, so nobody walking around would be able to see what was happening.

"Nooo!" the woman faintly gasped as she felt herself falling to the floor.

Ross rushed to the woman's aid and caught her before she hit the pavement, and put his hands under her back. Before helping her back up, he hastily put the fake pocketbook onto her shoulder, so she wouldn't suspect that it came off in the first place. Ross and Sableye exchanged glances, and the Pokemon waved the now visible pocketbook in the air. It then quickly scampered across the rooftops and back into the alley with the purse in its mouth.

The Confuse Ray attack began to wear off, as the woman could now see clearly again and no longer felt dizzy. Ross helped her to her feet and asked her if she was ok.

"Thank…thanks," the woman said, "I dunno why, but I felt so dizzy all of a sudden."

"Lucky I was there to catch ya, huh? In any case, you should be all right, take care, miss!" Ross said politely.

The woman smiled at her hero as she watched him walk away. After a few more moments, she continued down the sidewalk, unaware of what just happened.

In the alley, Ross and Sableye caught up with one another. The Pokemon grinned devilishly as it handed the real pocketbook up to its trainer.

"This trick works like a charm every time," Ross sneered, peeking inside the pocketbook. After pushing through some useless apparel, he managed to find her wallet which was filled with cash and credit cards. "Looks like we hit pay dirt once again, ha, I knew picking the woman with the huge pocketbook was a good idea," Ross said.

"Sableye!" Sableye cheered.

Not too far from the alley, Ash, May and Max were admiring the store windows as they walked. Suddenly, the screeches of a middle-aged woman caught their attention.

"What's happening? My pocketbook!" the woman gasped.

The fabricated pocketbook was starting to disappear, as the substitute attack only lasted about a minute. The woman's eyes widened in disbelief as her pocketbook began to fade out of existence before her very eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL!" she yelled as the fabricated pocketbook completely disappeared.

She then started yelling nonsensical words as she ran down the sidewalk, thinking she was going nuts because of her dizziness and disappearing purse. Ash, May and Max quickly moved out of the way as the woman nearly ran into them, and they watched her with confused expressions as she continued to run down the street.

"What's up with her?" May asked.

"I dunno, all I heard was a bunch of screaming. Think that lady is some kinda nut or something?" Max asked.

"Pika," Pikachu said.

The gang shrugged their shoulders, unaware of the thievery that just occurred, and continued walking down the sidewalk.

In the alley, Ross dropped the pocketbook to the floor, as now that he had her wallet, the rest of it was useless to him. He cackled while slipping her wallet into his leather pants.

"Heh, this money will surely let me get that tattoo on my *** that I wanted, good times," Ross said.

Sableye suddenly remembered what it saw a little while ago, and began to inform Ross about the trio that were walking down the street.

"What? You mean you saw Norman's kids?" Ross asked, amazed, "Excellent, I knew that standing across the street from the Gym would allow us to run into them eventually. Now that I think about it, getting that last Gym badge should be a piece of cake if we play our cards right. We can manipulate objects with your power, but you have to see it first in order to fabricate a duplicate. Since we don't know where Norman keeps his damn badges, we won't be able to form a compelling copy. Damn."

Ross peeked around the corner, and smiled as he saw Ash, May and Max walking naively down the sidewalk.

"Sableye?"

"Yeah, I know, the mother isn't with them. Crap, she's the one I really want to make a point with," Ross said. He took out his digital camera and flipped through the photos of May and Caroline that he took in the parking lot. "Heh, all in good time," he smirked.

As Ash and the siblings walked past the alley, they heard someone whisper to them from the shadows. The trio stopped and looked into the alley.

"Did someone just call us?" Ash pondered.

"Yeah, it was me," Ross said, emerging from the shadows.

"You, _again?_" May gasped, "What the heck are you doing here?"

"It's a free neighborhood, I was standing in an alley to kill some time," Ross said contently.

"Do you always hang out in an alley that smells like urine and gutter trash?" May asked.

Pikachu and Sableye glanced at one another, Pikachu could sense some bad intentions.

"This is the same guy that challenged your father," Ash remarked.

"You're pretty smart for a kid that lets a Pikachu sit on his head," Ross snickered.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu scoffed.

"Uh, Ash?" Max asked, "Why are we even talking to him? C'mon, lets go home, my feet are killing me!"

"Yeah, your probably right, lets get out of here," Ash said, turning around.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Ross called out.

"If it's about the badge thing again, you can forget it," May said, "I'm not going to hand you over a badge because my Dad banned you from the Gym."

"No, no, nothing like that, sweetums," Ross said, nicely, "Since you're the Gym leaders' kids and all, I'm just wondering if you know about any other Gyms around here. I need only one more to enter the Pokemon league, and I have some from the most popular Hoenn Gyms. Any advice on where to head next?"

"Have you been to the Mauville Gym?" Ash asked, "Its not too far from here, and I won a Gym badge there myself once."

"Mauville, eh? Sounds pretty nifty, maybe I'll check it out," Ross said, scratching his chin.

"And when you challenge the Mauville Gym leader, make sure not to make yourself look like a complete loser by insulting the Gym leader if you end up failing," May said.

"Still upset about that, huh? In any case, thanks for the advice. One more thing though, is your mother a size C or D cup?" Ross asked.

"What?" Max yelled.

"Let's get out of here, Ash," May said, agitated.

Ash nodded as the gang continued walking down the sidewalk. Something about Sableye bothered Pikachu, and the Pokemon continued to glance at the goblin as they walked. Ross smirked as he watched them while leaning against the wall.

"Feh, I'm not wasting my time running to Mauville when I can get a badge one block ahead of me instead. Screw that, and I have to get back some of my dignity after Norman and his wife lambasted me," Ross said, "Sableye, we'll need to continue to spy on them a bit more. If we can get one of the kids to break, we may be able to find the location of the badges."

"Sableye," Sableye nodded.

"I'm not going to run the risk of breaking into the Gym and potentially being caught by the police, not to mention that 800 pound Slaking would probably murder me if I stepped inside their house," Ross said, "Time to do some more thinking."

~*~*~*~*

Kenny made his rounds through the house, having just finished grooming Slaking, he was quite exhausted and ready to take the rest of the night off. He asked Norman and Caroline if he would be needed to help prepare dinner for the night, but they decided to make the most of their time while their children were around, and decided to eat out with them instead. Kenny thanked the parents for the night off and exited the Gym when his shift was over.

Norman didn't hesitate to invite Ash along to the restaurant, which of course Ash was more than happy to attend, but once he said it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, Ash's eyes lit up with glee. There was nothing better than being treated by a respected Gym leader to an expensive restaurant in Petalburg City, getting VIP treatment, and complete with the finest food the entire Hoenn region had to offer. Since Norman and his family were quite famous in Petalburg, they wouldn't even have to make a reservation, as the restaurant would easily accommodate for Norman and his family no matter how crowded they were.

May and Max were quite eager to dine out as well, it would be the perfect way to end the evening after shopping for the majority of the day. Before they got ready to leave however, May wanted to show Ash the small gift she bought him. In her bedroom, Max was sitting on the bed petting Pikachu while May started to fold up her newly purchased clothes and place them inside her drawers. Ash waited by the doorway, insisting that May hurry up so they could get to the restaurant sooner rather than later.

She reached into the shopping bag and pulled out a small piece of apparel for Ash. "I hope you'll like this," she said, handing a red and white hat to the boy.

"You bought me a new hat?" Ash asked, surprised.

"I figured you would need a new one by now, you've been wearing your current hat since we first met back in Littleroot town!" she exclaimed.

Ash took off his current hat and dropped it to the bed. He took the new hat and admired it for a moment, the red color was similar to his current hat, only that the brim was white. It had a small symbol of a Pokeball with a cute little Pikachu silhouette inside in the center of the hat. Ash smiled and pushed the new hat down on his head.

"They said one size fits all, so I figured it would fit your big head regardless," May teased.

"It fits snug too, thanks a bunch, May!" Ash said, pushing his hands down on the sides of the hat, "What do you think, Max?"

"I think it looks cool. I love the Pikachu silhouette too, I bet that's why my sister picked that one," Max said.

Ash picked up his old AG hat and smiled. "My mother bought me this old hat, so wearing it reminds me of her," Ash said, "Now I guess I have another hat that'll remind me of you, May."

"I'm happy you like it," May smiled, "I'm sure you want to head to the restaurant already, so we can talk more on the way."

Max snickered as he jumped off the bed. "I wonder who will end up eating more at the buffet, you or Ash!" he mused.

"I will of course," Ash grinned, "May might love food, but nobody can eat as much as I can!"

"You wanna make a bet about that, mister? I don't think you have quite the appetite that you used to," May teased.

"Heh, we'll see soon enough," Max smiled, "Mom, Dad…May and Ash are going to challenge each other to an eating contest!"

Max ran outside the bedroom and down the stairs to catch up to his parents.

"Is he really going to tell your parents that? They're probably going to think there's something wrong with us," Ash joked.

With Max out of the room, Ash wanted to thank May properly for the gift. He walked toward her and placed his hand on her shoulder, as May returned his affection by smiling.

"I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but I think I'm ready to give it a try," Ash said, softly.

"What do you mean?" May asked.

Hesitating slightly, Ash mustered up the courage to move his face closer to hers.

"Oh," May uttered in amusement, as her breath was cut off by Ash placing his lips gently on her own. He wasn't sure if he did it correctly, but he successfully managed to give her a brief kiss. May held his body as the kiss lasted briefly, but passionately, the two trembling a tad as their moist lips slipped against one another. Pikachu watched curiously, being the nosy little Pokemon it was.

Ash broke the kiss as their lips pressed apart. He trembled slightly and asked, "Th-that was ok, right?"

"Yea," May replied weakly, getting bashful.

"I-I just wanted to start it for once, usually you're the one to kiss first and I just try to kiss back," Ash said, embarrassed.

"You seem to be getting the hang of it," she smiled.

"Heh, maybe," he stuttered, his face blowing up red.

He looked like he wanted to run out of the bedroom as quickly as possible, and May teased that his face was getting redder than the color of his hat.

After a few flirty exchanges, Ash motioned for Pikachu to jump on his shoulder as the boy eagerly ran out of the room so he could go eat. May had a brief moment of bliss wash over her, as her hands felt the lips that Ash brushed his own against a moment before. That was the first time that Ash kissed _first._ He made the first move, and kissed her gently when she wasn't suspecting it. May was elated, she was happy with the fact that she and Ash were getting more and more comfortable with each other every day.

"Not bad for the first time you made a move on me, Ash," May said to herself, "Heehee, I think I did a better first kiss though, and I think I'll eat him out of that buffet later tonight too."

She squealed to herself immaturely as she pranced down the stairs, elated that not only was he starting kisses himself…he was getting better at them too!

~*~*~*~

Norman's family was given VIP treatment in the restaurant as soon as they entered. The staff recognized Norman, his wife and his children, but Ash was only considered to be a "guest" since he wasn't related to the family but a friend instead.

Once the group sat down at the table together, Ash almost immediately ran up to get some food for his plate. Being a buffet, the food was all set aside for anyone to fill their plates with a few steps away from the tables. Pikachu didn't bother to get any of the food being offered, it was content with just the ketchup bottle on the table of course! The electric Pokemon claimed the bottle of ketchup for itself, thus all the humans were out of luck if they wanted to add some ketchup to their food.

May got herself several bowls of ramen noodles, which were her favorite food. Using her chop sticks, she could scarf down filled bowls of ramen in seconds. Max had a hard time keeping track of who ate food faster, Ash could finish hamburgers in just three bites, and May could finish a whole bowl of ramen in less than 30 seconds. It eventually got to the point where Max just gave up, his sister and best friend both loved food…who really cared? He'd rather take his time eating and enjoy his food, rather than gulping down bite after bite while barely registering what the stuff tasted like.

"I would have said that I'm surprised with how much you're eating, Ash, if I didn't see you treat yourself to that humongous breakfast this morning," Caroline said.

"So that's where all the bread and eggs went," May said, disgruntled by the fact that she only had a single banana for her breakfast.

Caroline inched over to Norman and whispered into his ear. "It was a good idea to bring the boy to a buffet, he would have cleaned out our refrigerator had I cooked a meal for him at home."

Norman inched toward his wife and agreed. He whispered, "Indeed, this is why I decided on a buffet in the first place. At least here he can eat out the whole restaurant if he pleases, it'll still be the same bill in the end anyway. You just went to the supermarket the other day, you might have to make multiple trips there depending on how long Ash and the children stay with us."

Caroline chortled, "Makes me kind of hope they start traveling again soon, even with the salary of a Gym leader I don't think we can afford to feed them!"

Norman and Caroline enjoyed their dinner as they watched Ash and their children eat happily. Aside from the fact that this saved them money, it was also nice to have a family dinner together since May and Max had been traveling for far too long. It was an enjoyable night, with the group chatting about past events and Brock's whereabouts, as well as Caroline finally giving Ash and May a harsh scolding for frying most of the furniture in May's bedroom with Pikachu's electric attacks. Pikachu slid down in its seat and let Ash take all the blame, it was enjoying the ketchup far too much to bother.

~*~*~*

After dinner, Ash, May and Max wanted to stay behind and admire the night sky while Norman and Caroline returned to the Gym. The parents had to tidy up the Gym and get it ready for trainers the next morning, and had to get the battlefield looking in tip-top shape for tomorrows Pokemon battles. Ash and the others walked slowly while admiring Petalburg's skyline, seeing the night sky almost made them yearn to start traveling again. The kids waved goodbye to their parents and promised to return home before 9pm.

May twirled the straw in her soda bottle, sipping what remained from her dinner. Pikachu still carried the ketchup bottle in its hands, which it wasn't supposed to as it belonged to the restaurant, but since Norman was a Gym leader the staff let it slide much to Pikachu's delight. Ash pulled on the brim of his nice new hat that May bought, it really did feel more comfortable than his old hat.

The trio spent around 20 minutes hanging around the main Petalburg plaza, walking lazily after stuffing themselves full of food back at the restaurant.

"I wonder if we should have walked back with Mom and Dad to the Gym," May said, "We could have helped them clean up the battlefield for tomorrow."

"I think you're right, sis, maybe Dad would appreciate all the hard work I put into cleaning the Gym if we went with them. At this rate, I'm not sure if our parents will keep Kenny around much longer if they tidy up the Gym themselves," Max said.

"They need Kenny for the referee, Max," Ash reminded him, "Otherwise your Mom would have to be the judge, and I don't know if she enjoys doing that or not."

"Nah, I don't think Mom would enjoy spending all her time refereeing Dad's matches, its just too time consuming. I have to admire Mom for sticking so loyal to Dad throughout the years though, his job has basically become his life. I wonder if deep down, Mom ever gets tired of it all. Sometimes I wonder if she wishes that Dad wouldn't be the Gym leader anymore," May sulked.

"If Dad ever acknowledges me and lets me become the Gym leader some day, then he and Mom would have all the free time in the world. Of course, I still don't know if Dad will ever offer me the position anyway," Max frowned.

"Geez, you two sound so depressed," Ash said, "Why don't you guys cheer up? Your parents just took you out to a buffet so we could eat out together before we travel again. Max, I've told you before, your Dad is already looking for options to the successor of the Petalburg Gym, since I…uh…declined, I'm sure you're on the top of the list now."

"You what? Dad asked you over me?" Max gasped, "Now that makes it sound even worse."

"Seems like Dad really likes you a lot, Ash," May said, taking another sip of her soda.

"And Caroline always looks happy when we see her, she doesn't look stressed out or anything because of your father's job," Ash continued.

"No, but Mom's are good at hiding stuff so their children don't feel bad," May said, "Dad made her wait for 14 months while he traveled around to get Gym badges so he could get control of the Gym, and I'm sure that was far more agonizing than what she let on, especially since they were deeply in love at the time."

"Do…do you think Dad will ask me to do the same thing? When I become a trainer that is, and if he chooses me, do you think he'll make me travel around the region collecting Gym badges to prove myself too?" Max asked, anxiously.

"Dad isn't nearly as strict as grandpa was, so who knows," May shrugged, "You're…not going to travel by yourself though, right?"

"No, I made up my mind that I'm going to continue traveling with Ash. He agreed to mentor me!" Max said cheerfully.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Ash chortled, scratching his head.

May smiled and continued to twirl her straw in her soda bottle. "Looks like I'm going to be traveling with Ash and my darling little brother for a long time then," she said, "Sounds like a lot of fun."

"Hey, you don't have to rub it in, May! I may end up being taller than you someday!" Max pouted.

"Maybe someday, but for now you're still my darling little brother," May teased.

The group were approaching the Petalburg Gym, but something didn't feel right. May caught whim of it before the others did.

"I'll make you eat those words one day, sis, you know that, right?" Max asked. She didn't answer for a few seconds, so he repeated it, "Right, May?"

He looked at his sister but was aghast at what he saw. May stood there trembling, with a look of intense fear on her face. Her hands shook as her soda bottle dropped onto the floor. She looked petrified, and Ash, Pikachu and Max followed her fearful gaze.

The Petalburg Gym ahead of them was completely covered in flames. The entire structure was ablaze in a red and orange hue, flames were shooting out from the windows as thick black smoke filled the sky. The Petalburg Gym, their home, was a burning inferno.

"How…?" May gasped, as she desperately ran torward the towering inferno.

"May, wait!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu dropped the ketchup and ran after the girl with Max trailing weakly behind. In front of the Petalburg Gym, a man was on the ground motionless. May shrieked fearfully when she recognized the clothing on the man, it was her father!

"DAD?!" May cried, as she turned the man over on the ground so she could see his face. Ash and the others hovered over him.

Norman's face was bruised and bloody, he had a black eye as well as a stream of blood trickling from his mouth. May and Max were terrified, they began screaming to their father to see if he was alive. Luckily, Norman was conscious and was able to speak with them.

Norman struggled to sit up on the ground as May supported his back. Max was trembling, seeing his once proud father completely beaten and the Gym in flames scared the boy silent. Norman tried to speak while May was frantically shouting in his ear.

"Ugh, May, calm down," Norman panted, "It was just a fist-fight, I'm…I'm ok."

"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?" May gasped, "You're bleeding terribly!"

"Never mind that!" Norman grunted, spitting some blood from his mouth, "I'll live, the more important thing is that you're all ok, I shudder to think what might have happened if you were walking with us back to the house."

"Where's Mom? What happened to her?" Max blurted out in fear.

Norman wiped some more blood off his face as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked at the trembling faces of his children, he was almost afraid to tell them.

"Damn it, she's not here," Norman said, angrily.

"Then where is she?" May gasped.

"Your mother's been kidnapped!" Norman exclaimed.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41  
**  
"Your mother's been kidnapped!" Norman exclaimed.

May staggered backward and nearly fell over on the ground. Her face looked pale as she was essentially mortified by the news. Max ran into his father's arms almost immediately and started to cry. Norman held his son dearly and caressed his hair, he regretted shouting what happened to their mother in such an unnerving manner.

Ash and Pikachu were stunned silent by the news, they could do nothing but stare in shock at Max who was sobbing in his beaten father's arms. How did May's parents get attacked while they were walking home from the restaurant?

Norman's face was battered and worn, and showed evidence of a fierce fist fight. He had a black eye and a face full of bruises, along with blood running from his mouth and dangling from his chin. It was clear that the once esteemed Gym leader of the Petalburg Gym had seen better days.

The Petalburg Gym beside them was set ablaze in flames. The scorching fire reached into the night sky, as large quantities of smoke filled the air. The entire house was set in a red and orange hue, as if the place had been burning for quite some time. It was apparent from the raging inferno that the entire inside of their house was totally destroyed by the flames. The sounds of raging fire in their home only encouraged the despair of Norman and his family, the attacker had done a number on their emotional stability.

Norman continued to wade with Max in his arms as the Gym leader began to mope hopelessly. Max had his face fully buried in his chest, as the tears from the young boy soaked his father's shirt. Norman was conflicted with anger, contempt, helplessness and was grief-stricken by what he was unable to prevent; the abduction of his wife and the destruction of his home.

"Dad! You gotta find Mom! Please!" Max cried hysterically while dropping his glasses to the ground.

Norman waded silently while holding his son. Max looked up at his father and was even more aghast when he saw the mutilation of his face, it was a morbid sight.

"NO…wha – why did this happen?" Max cried.

May sat on the ground with her hands holding her head in a distressed manner, as she rocked herself nervously and rambled nonsensically to herself. The girl was in a state of shock, she could barely comprehend what was going on and tried to shove the horrible images and thoughts of what happened to her family out of her mind.

Ash finally got frustrated and yelled out to Norman, with a mix of anxiety and fear. "Caroline…did – did you see what happened to her? We…we need to save your wife!" Ash shouted, with a hint of hopelessness in his voice.

"DAD!" Max yelled angrily, "Li-sten to Ash, tell him what happened to Mom!"

Norman shook his head a number of times and spit some more blood out of his mouth.

"Caroline…DAMN…how could I let him do that to you?" Norman screamed.

"Dad?" Max sobbed.

"Damn…I…I don't believe it…I completely forgot!" Norman yelled, "The Pokemon are still inside the house, they're in the fire and could be dead!"

May suddenly shot up from the floor as her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. She turned weakly as she looked at the raging fire shooting out from the Gym. The thought that her Pokemon, Beautifly and Skitty, as well as the others still being inside the house terrified her.

"What?" Ash screamed, "You mean May's Pokemon are inside the house?"

"YES!" Norman nodded uneasily, "I – I have Slaking and the others with me, but Beautifly and Skitty were out of their Pokeballs and inside the house when we left! I don't know if they're still in there or not!"

"NO!" May cried, as she frantically wiped her tears out of her eyes.

Without warning, May darted for the house despite the menacing flames and overbearing smoke.

"May! What are you doing?" Norman screamed.

He let go of Max quickly and raced for his daughter as fast as he could. He realized that May was likely to do something stupid and step inside the burning house to look for her two Pokemon. Ash and Pikachu quickly ran after Norman and toward the inferno.

May dashed hopelessly toward the Gym before Norman caught up to her and snatched her in his arms. The father could hold his daughter at bay easily, and held her secure as she struggled with her body to get out of his arms.

"LET GO OF ME!" May cried, "Skitty and Beautifly are still in there!"

"If you run into the house you're as good as dead!" Norman scolded, wrestling with his daughter. He held her from behind with one arm wrapped around her torso and the other holding her left arm which was struggling to push him away. The girl even tried to head butt him to get free but Norman's stronger body allowed him to hold his daughter still.

"Damn, I don't like this!" Ash cried.

Pikachu suddenly noticed that something was strange about the fire, and after taking a brief sniff of the flames, it quickly noted that something was amiss.

"Pikachu, pika Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

"Pikachu, I don't have time for you now!" Ash said frantically.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu shouted.

Frustrated, Ash looked at Pikachu as the Pokemon slowly inched closer to the fire on the shrubs that were near the walls of the Gym.

"Pikachu, what are you doing? Get away from the fire!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu ignored its trainer's command and decided to put its paw into the burning shrub. Once it didn't feel anything, Pikachu knew its suspicions were correct.

"Pikachu…wha?" Ash asked, startled.

Pikachu was putting its paw in and outside the fire that was caught along the shrubs and grass, but it didn't look like it felt a thing!

Ash slowly inched his way closer to the flames, and nervously reached with one hand to press it against the fire that was shooting from the window.

"What the hell are you doing, Ash?" May yelled, still struggling to get free from her father.

Ash put his hand in and out of the burning window. He then moved his whole arm around the flames of the building, and to everyone else's surprise, he didn't react at all! The fire didn't seem to burn his skin, nor did the huge amount of smoke cause the boy to cough or struggle to breathe.

"I don't believe it…it's not….hot?" Ash asked, confused.

Norman and May looked at him astonished, as Ash and Pikachu were showing the family that they were putting their limbs in and out of the fire with no negative effect. Max quickly ran up beside them and made another discovery.

"There's no smell either!" Max gasped, trying to sniff the air, "There's so much smoke in the air but it doesn't smell like anything! It – it doesn't even smell like the house is burning!"

Max rubbed his tears from his eyes as Norman slowly let go of his daughter. The trio inched closer to the raging inferno and were astounded by the discovery; not only was the fire not hot, but it didn't smell or feel like the Gym was ablaze either!

"There's…there's not even any heat," May said, trembling, "We're…we're standing right in front of the fire yet we don't feel the heat on our faces."

"Wait a sec," Ash said, reaching for his Pokeball, "Corphish, I choose you!"

Ash threw his Pokeball in the air and his familiar Corphish materialized in front of him. Ash instructed Corphish to use Bubblebeam in the flames, in which the Pokemon did accordingly.

"Corphish?!" Corphish said astonished, as its water attack went right through the fire, and didn't phase it at all.

"It all adds up," Ash said, amazed, "There's no heat from the fire, there's no smell of smoke despite the sky being filled with it, there's no smell of burning wood, and when we touch the fire not only do we not feel a thing, but everything goes right through it!"

"Then…that means?" May asked, stuttering.

"The fire isn't real!" Norman exclaimed.

"How – how could that be?" she asked, astonished.

Suddenly, two familiar Pokemon began to emerge from the depths of the house. The group was astonished as Skitty and Beautifly quickly ran out the front door and toward the gang unscathed.

"Beautifly, Skitty! You're not hurt!" May exclaimed.

She quickly ran toward her Pokemon and hugged both of them as they leaped into her arms. Tears flowed down her cheek as she hugged them dearly and kissed both of them on the head.

"Beauti-fly?" Beautifly asked.

"The Pokemon were inside the house as it was burning the whole time, they walked through the fire and everything, and they look perfectly fine!" Max said, astonished.

"You guys….how?" May asked, looking at her Pokemon.

Skitty and Beautifly shook their heads as they had no idea what was going on.

"I know," Ash said as he faced the house, "This fire isn't real. This whole thing must be an illusion or something."

"You…you must be right, Ash! There is no other explanation!" Max shouted.

May let go of her Pokemon as she walked up beside Ash and looked at the flames determinedly. Standing only three feet in front of the entrance, she made a daring move of jumping inside the house.

"MAY!" Norman shouted.

Ash and Pikachu impulsively ran inside the doorway following her, and were astounded again, they didn't feel a thing despite jumping into a raging inferno. May gazed upon the inside of the house, and noticed that all of the furniture and rooms looked fine, the fire only seemed to be covering it, not burning anything.

"Ash, there's nothing on fire in the house," May gasped, "Look at everything in here, nothing looks scorched at all."

"I know, we're actually standing ON and inside a burning house, and there's nothing bothering us!" Ash exclaimed.

Norman and Max followed in the house as well, and were equally astonished. Norman brushed his hand along the couch that only appeared to be on flames, but the couch was fine, and the fire was merely flickering on top of the couch, rather than burning it.

"You're right, our whole house isn't in flames after all," Norman gasped, "None of this is real. The entire fire is a farce!"

"Who could do something like this though?" Ash asked, sitting down on a chair that was in flames, "It…looks so real…but it's…all fake."

"The same bastard that took my wife, apparently," Norman grinded his teeth.

The mention of their mother got the siblings upset and frightened once again.

"Forget the damn house!" May screamed, "Since this is just an illusion and my Pokemon are fine, who cares! We gotta go find Mom!"

"Beautifly!" Beautifly said, landing on May's head.

Max picked up Skitty from the ground while Ash recalled Corphish into its Pokeball.

"Dad, we gotta call the police!" Max gasped.

"Hm, I wonder if any of our Pokemon can shine through this illusion," Ash said, he then noticed Beautifly flapping its wings on May's head.

Norman walked over to the phone on the wall, and hesitated as the whole thing was covered in fire. Despite the fact that the fire wasn't real, it sure looked real enough, and it was very unnerving to touch something that would ordinarily burn his skin. Nevertheless, he picked up the phone and began to dial the police, slowly pressing the buttons that were flickering in his face.

"May, tell your Beautifly to use Psychic attack!" Ash instructed.

"Why? I don't think it even knows how to use it," May stuttered.

"Just do it!" Ash yelled.

"Beautifly, try using Psychic!" May said, weakly.

Beautifly hovered off her head and prepared to launch the attack. Its wings started to glow a faint purple as it unleashed a massive energy attack that encompassed the room. Ash watched as the purple psychic energy covered the flames, and noticed immediately that the "fire" began to fade away. Unfortunately, after the energy attack moved on, the fire would reform in the same place and continue to flicker.

"Did you see that, Ash?" Max asked.

"Yeah, the Psychic energy just showed us the real room, without the flames. I think that just proved that it really is an illusion," Ash said, "Anyway, it seems Psychic attacks can show the truth of what's really going on. Too bad we don't have any Psychic Pokemon, otherwise we could probably phase out the entire fire."

May began to pull on her skirt nervously, she no longer cared about the house. She wanted to know about the safety and well being of her mother, and was angered that her father didn't mention what happened yet. She watched her father talking on the phone to the police, feeling both a mix of frustration and sympathy toward him. The sight of the bruises and cuts on her father's face discouraged her however, as she started to mope into her arms.

~*~*~*~

The putrid smell of the surrounding area was enough to make anyone gag. In a small dark room in an unknown location, cigarette smoke filled the air along with various other substances and garbage was scattered around the floor. Beer bottles and prescription medicine lie all over table tops, along with the faint smell of blood scattered about.

A woman rested against a chair unconscious, bonded by tight rope around her arms and legs. She was sleeping contently, albeit against her will. The woman had long brown hair and an orange dress, the same woman that a family was desperately searching for.

"Do your thing," a man said.

A flash of white light shone in the room, which instantly awoke the woman from her slumber. She squinted her eyes as she tried to adjust to the light, and raised her head to figure out where she was.

"You should be awake now, Sableye's Hypnosis attack doesn't last that long," Ross grinned.

Caroline rocked in her chair once her recollection caught up with her. She looked around the damp, dark room and struggled to move her arms and legs, but she was tied down too well. She looked at the man who wore all leather and several chains, who grinned at her flirtatiously as he leaned against a wall.

Ross pushed his hand through his shaved head while twirling his big metal chain on his neck in a circle. "Are ya awake, hon?"

"You low life piece of trash, you'll rot in hell for this, you scumbag," Caroline spouted.

"Heh, I didn't expect that to be your opening line," Ross laughed, "But either way, glad to see you remember me."

"I don't forget scum," Caroline yelled, "Untie these ropes right now."

"Sorry, babe, I can't do that," Ross said, as he leaped onto the couch beside her, "You see, I went through a lot of trouble to come up with this plan, and now that it worked, I'm quite proud of myself. I think I'll treat myself to a few extra beers tonight."

"You couldn't win a Gym badge at our Gym and this is what you have to resort to?" Caroline snapped, "You're a loser, as expected. You better untie these ropes before it ends up being worse for you."

"I'm afraid not, Caroline, because you see…you're kidnapped!" Ross chortled, "I am "the" kidnapper, and I am quite pleased with having you here."

"Sableye, Sableye," Sableye grinned, echoing its trainer.

Caroline looked at the goblin Pokemon, whose jagged teeth were as menacing as they were creepy. "Your Sableye's attacks could have been put to good use, you bastard. Instead, you use them to kidnap me, what a crying shame."

"I did well, didn't I?" Ross asked, "Sableye's Hypnosis attack sure knocked you out cold. You were snoozing like a baby as soon as Sableye waved his fingers, and it was pretty easy to carry you back here, it all worked perfectly."

"And you're proud of yourself?" Caroline scoffed, "You're proud that you're going to wind up in prison as soon as I get out of here?"

Ross scratched his chin silently.

"I always knew you were a scoundrel, but I honestly didn't know you were this disturbed," Caroline said, "As soon as my husband knows what happened to me he'll…"

"Your husband?" Ross cackled, "Please, don't be an idiot. I've already dealt with your "precious" Norman. It's funny too, I was originally intimidated by him after all these months, but after I got up close and personal with him, he wasn't so tough."

Caroline began to feel her throat go dry. "What…what did you do to him? Is…is he here too?"

Ross shook his head. "Sorry, wrong answer. Ah, I forgot, you were already knocked out by Hypnosis so you didn't get to see me beat the living crap out of your husband. Ah well, I would have enjoyed watching the horror on your face as I pounded his face away, but I had to work as a team with Sableye to make sure I could run off with you easily," Ross grinned.

"You, what?" Caroline asked, weakly, "Norman…could never…"

"I suppose he's still laying there outside the Gym, I wonder if the poor bastard will be able to find the teeth I knocked out of his mouth," he laughed.

Caroline shook her head in despair, she was unaware of the violent act he performed on her husband. For the first time since she was conscious, she finally realized she was in trouble.

"I'll, I'll scream…at the top of my lungs. If I'm not untied, I'll continue to scream until finally someone wonders what's wrong and knocks on your door, or better yet, calls the police. Your walls are not soundproof, if they hear someone crying for help, people will call the police," Caroline warned.

"Scream all you want, see if I give a damn," Ross said, "I very much doubt you'd want to alert the boys in the other room though, they're too busy drinking themselves silly and enjoying the strip show."

"Where…where am I anyway?" Caroline gasped.

"That would be telling, wouldn't it? Anyway, you won't be going anywhere for awhile, so make yourself comfortable," Ross said as he got up from the couch.

"Where are my kids?" Caroline asked, impulsively.

"Your kids?"

"Yes," Caroline nodded.

"Don't know, I didn't see them," Ross said, "Well, I actually did see them earlier in the day, and that older kid actually gave me some advice of what Gym to go to, but that's about it."

"You didn't harm them, did you?" Caroline asked, meekly.

"No, I didn't lay a finger on them," Ross said. He walked toward Caroline and leaned in front of her face. "But I can be talked into going back."

"You…you really see no problem with what you're doing?" Caroline snapped, "You'll be charged with assault and kidnapping, it's enough to put you away for quite some time. I wonder how long gutter trash like you will be able to elude the inevitable, but we'll see how fast the time ticks and the police come knocking on your door, dirtbag."

He chuckled, "You're a tough lady, I'll give you that."

Ross took his hand and rested it on the top of Caroline's head. His hand gripped down on her head which hurt her scalp. He moved in closer to whisper into her ear.

"I'm going to enjoy my time with you," he whispered, "After all the trouble I went with kidnapping you, I might as well have some fun."

He forcefully slammed her head down as he walked away. Caroline lifted her head up as she eyed her capture. He lifted several small black cases out of drawers and put them on the table. He turned to Caroline and grinned maliciously at her, before he snapped open the case. The woman gaped in horror as he took out several small blades and a taser.

~*~*~*~

"What is this, some kind of a joke?"

"Do I really look like I would lie? I'm the Gym leader for god sakes!" Norman retaliated, "As if my bruises aren't proof enough."

Norman raised the ice pack and rested it against his cheek as he sat on the grass outside the Gym. Ash, May and Max were standing to the side next to Norman, unsure of what to say.

Norman had called the fire department while the Gym was ablaze in flames, but by the time the fire department actually arrived, the illusion had subsided, and thus the appearance of the burning Gym disappeared. Since the inside and outside of the Gym was perfectly fine, there was no evidence of a fire either. Nothing inside or outside the Gym looked scorched or destroyed, which led the firefighters a very hard time to believe Norman's story.

Aside from Norman and his families frustration over the firefighters thinking it was a prank, the police did however note that his wife was kidnapped and he was assaulted by a young, white male in his early twenties by the name of Ross. Norman never did catch whim of Ross' last name, which made him harder to find than he would be otherwise. As Norman continued giving the details of what happened during the assault to the police, Ash and the siblings were getting restless.

"We…we saw him today," May frowned, holding her brother by her side.

She sat on the grass, depressed and discouraged. Max continued to sniffle while leaning against his sister, he was no longer in the mood to speak. Ash had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall of the Gym. Pikachu was sitting in May's arms, as the girl stroked its yellow coat to help relieve her nervousness and uncertainty.

"We – we should have known then," May stuttered, "If we knew he was up to something when we saw him in the alley, we might have been able to stop him."

"I know," Ash said, frustrated, "He seemed to be a shady person, but I…we…could have never imagined he'd do something like this. I can't believe we were so naïve and actually talked to him without suspecting a thing."

"Even back at the supermarket," May recalled, stroking Pikachu's head while staring out into space, "He was harassing me, and I could have screamed to get security to take him away…but I didn't. I…I wonder…would things have turned out differently if I didn't run into him in the supermarket? Or in the alley, even?"

"Pikachu," a glum Pikachu sulked.

"Those two events could have provoked him even more, after the nasty things we said to him," she said, as she felt Max moving his head up against her shoulder, "It didn't seem like he would be such…such a threat at the time."

"I don't think things would have played out differently if we didn't see him again after your Dad banned him from the Gym," Ash said, "His rage and jealousy of your father must have been building up for a long time. It…it just seemed like Norman had everything under control. He was the Gym leader, and that guy was just a trainer, your Dad had complete superiority over him."

"Yeah? And what good did that do?" May retorted, "All it did was get Mom kidnapped."

"May!" Max whimpered.

"Sorry, Max," May said tearfully.

She held his body close to her to try and relieve his pain, although she knew that whatever she would do, it wouldn't make a difference. She was emotionally distressed herself, and knew that there was no way she could help reassure or comfort her younger brother.

Ash felt discouraged as well. Usually when times looked grim, he would always spring into action with some words of reassurance, something that would brighten up even the darkest hour. No matter how bad the odds looked, he would always have the courage to try and stand against them, and be able to say that things would turn out ok in the end.

This time however, he had no such enthusiasm. Their mother was kidnapped and their father was badly beaten, there was nothing he could possibly say or do that would turn this into a hopeful situation. For the first time in his life, Ash was unsure if things would ever get better. He knew that as painful as the thought was, there was a chance that May and Max would never see their mother again. He knew that there was a chance that something horrible could happen to her, and her children would never be the same again. It frustrated him greatly, because this one event could tear apart the entire family forever. They didn't deserve this, not a cheery, happy family like May's once was. Nonetheless, there was nothing he could do to shake the terrifying feeling that this time, there might not be any light at the end of the tunnel.

~*~*~*~

"So we're not going to do anything?" May yelled.

"It's not that we're not going to do anything, it's that we have no leads," Norman grunted, "I have no idea where Ross lives, nor do I know anything about him but the skin on his face."

"Dad, you're acting so indifferent about this!" May screamed, standing in front of her father, "MOM IS GONE! YOU DON'T SEEM TO CARE!"

Norman placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders and rubbed them passionately. He was losing his patience with her, yet he wasn't the kind of father who would physically slap their children if they were being obnoxious. He knew how serious the situation was and that his children were emotionally confused, but they had to face the reality of it all; they were at an absolute loss as to where Caroline was.

"We're going to find her, May, we'll find her," Norman promised.

"You're…you're not doing a very good job of it so far," May sniffled.

"I know," Norman nodded.

"But…"

"I know," he repeated.

She sighed as she slowly leaned toward her father and whimpered in his arms. She had been consoled by her father multiple times in the evening, but each time did little to reassure her that she would see her mother again safe and sound. They were both frustrated and powerless, the barrier between parent and child meant little during this moment. A father couldn't comfort his child, which was an excruciating feeling for him.

May moved apart from her father and sat on the couch. Her hands fidgeted in her lap as she struggled to wrap her mind around the lack of action taken to rescue her mother. Various thoughts crossed her mind, including one in which she imagined what life might be like without a mother. The thought was horrifying enough, and she desperately tried to push it out of her mind as quickly as possible.

She walked upstairs toward the bedrooms, and briefly peeked inside Max's room. Her brother was sound asleep in his bed, which wasn't surprising, as it was nearly 1 a.m. She saw the quiver in his lips as he slept, and sighed as she shut the door. As excruciating as her pain was, she knew her brother felt it even more due to his age.

She walked into her bedroom and saw Ash and Pikachu working on something on the floor. She walked over to them curiously, wondering what they were up to.

"You're still awake?" May asked as she peeked over his shoulder.

"Yes," Ash said, briefly looking back up at her.

He continued to draw on a piece of paper on the ground. The outline looked like a brief sketch of the Petalburg Gym and the surrounding area, with several markings seemingly to indicate possible paths that Ross took when he flew the scene with Caroline.

"Your Dad said Ross attacked them when they were standing right in front of the Gym," Ash said, making an "x" mark on the map, "He didn't get to see which direction Ross went because he was knocked out, but I'm guessing he took the path leading to the south…which was exactly the way we came from the restaurant."

May approached him and shook her head. She knew he was desperately trying to plot out a plan to find her mother with very little to work with. Ash was trying to play the role of a hero once again, even going to lengths of plots and graphs when the boy barely knew what he was doing in the first place. May knew that Ash was a do-er and not a thinker, thus his map of the Petalburg Gym and paths Ross could have taken was as relevant as a child's scribble on a piece of paper.

"We're not going to figure out which way he went by doing that," she said simply, as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Why not?" Ash snapped, "You want to find your mother, don't you? Of course you do, so that's why we gotta figure out which street Ross ran down, that way we may have a clue of where he's staying."

"Pikachu, pi," Pikachu said.

"But that leaves you grasping at straws, Ash!" May exclaimed, "I appreciate your good intentions, I really do, but this is not going to help us find Mom. Even if we do somehow figure out which way Ross went, there's absolutely no way of figuring out how far he went or which house he's staying in! For all we know he could have taken Mom in a car and drove several miles away!"

Ash's pencil cracked off her last remark. He threw the pencil to the side and looked up at her, dejected.

"It may not be much to go on, but it's all we have," Ash sighed.

"That's what Dad said too," May sulked, "And that means we have basically nothing."

Ash picked up his map and placed it on the bed, looking at it objectively to try and figure out if what May said was true.

"It's just a drawing, Ash," May sighed, "I don't think we can find Mom with a sketch."

"I…I wanted to figure out a way to find your mother…this was all I could think of," Ash said.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu sighed, jumping on top of the bed.

May curled up in her bed and rested her head on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling as Ash took his map and crumbled it up. Pikachu shouted at its trainer to not give up hope, but Ash took the crumbled ball and tossed it into the garbage nonetheless.

Ash turned toward her frantically. "I just refuse to believe that there's absolutely nothing we can do," Ash said, enraged, "There's just gotta be some clue or _something _to point us in the right direction!"

She sat up on the bed, wiping her brow with her arm, and looked tearfully into her boyfriend as he fumed.

"You never give up, Ash, this is why I like you. I just wish there was a better way," she said.

"There _can _be one if we put our minds together and try to figure something out! I mean, c'mon, May! It's your _mother, _it's like you don't even care!"

"D-on't say that, Ash," May sniffled, "It's my Mom, of course I care. I care more than anything in the world about her. If she could be standing in this room right here with me right now, I'd…I'd be ecstatic."

"Then why do you act like you've given up hope?" Ash asked, as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"I haven't, it's just that I've finally been able to accept what Dad has been saying. As much as we put our heart and mind into finding Mom, we don't really have the first clue as to where she is. We can't scribble on a piece of paper or hope for the best…this stuff won't bring Mom back. It…it won't bring her back."

"Yeah, but…"

"I don't want to pretend and tell my little brother that everything will be alright, that Mom will be there to make us breakfast the next morning and take care of us when we get hurt, because I don't know if I could keep that promise, and I don't want Max to suffer more than he already is."

Ash grabbed her arm and moved her body onto his lap. He hugged her around the waist tightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder. He stroked her back passionately to relieve her pain.

"Don't give up hope," Ash whispered, "Whatever you do, you can't give that up."

"I'll never give up hope," she said, "I…I just can't promise anything either."

"If your mother is fine…we can always – "

"_If _Mom is fine," May frowned, "It's also the fear of not knowing what's happening to her that's eating at me. I…I just hope that Mom's ok, wherever she is. I-I hope she's fine, and…and that she can hold out until we find her."

"We will find her, May," Ash whispered, "We'll find her."

May lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him objectively. "Now you sound like Dad, and that didn't reassure me coming from him. I…I don't think it sounds more comforting coming from you, either."

"What can I say, then? I want to find your mother and bring her back safely," Ash said.

"I know, but you're not doing a very good job of it so far," May said.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu frowned.

~*~*~*~

The loud music from the other room pounded away in the dark and somber setting that Caroline was in. The only light coming into the room was from the reflection of the jeweled eyes of Sableye's, as the Pokemon hid in the shadows like a phantom.

Ross snapped another photo from his digital camera and smirked after looking at the picture on the screen of the camera.

"This is another good one, you just hold that pose, miss Caroline," Ross said, placing the photo down on the table.

Caroline was still tied to the chair, only she was now being degraded against her will. The mother forced herself not to sob as it would show a weakness to Ross, but she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to endure the physical and emotional pain.

Her clothes were torn and thrown to the side. The only thing on Caroline's body was the remnants of the beautiful orange and brown dress she once wore. Her body was being exposed in the open, her flesh struggled to break free of the chair that confined her, but she was in no position to get free.

"Heh, I was right, you really are a C cup," Ross snickered, snapping another photo on his camera.

"If torturing women is what gets you off in life, you don't have much of a life to begin with," Caroline said, agitated.

Ross laughed. "I honestly can't believe you're still being so stern about this after what's happening to you. I see you take after that deadbeat husband of yours. You act tough on the outside, but inside you're absolutely pathetic."

"My husband is a thousand, no wait, a million times a man you'll ever be," Caroline berated, rocking her head against the chair.

"Yeah, and that certainly didn't help him in the end, did it?" Ross said, as he crouched and took another shot of Caroline's body.

"Sableye," Sableye nodded.

"When you're done taking those photos, make sure you cram them up your ass," Caroline said.

Ross shook his head and walked up to Caroline, holding a small blade to his side. He brought the blade up to her face as he twirled it in the air, menacingly.

"I'm going to sell those photos," Ross said, "Real nude photos of a Gym leader's wife sure will sell a lot on the internet. I'm glad you have such a wonderful figure, otherwise it probably wouldn't have been worth it to kidnap you."

"And then what?" Caroline yelled, "After you get your kicks, what are you doing to do, kill me?"

Ross lowered the blade and stepped away from the mother. He slid it into his pocket as he put his hands behind his head.

"No, I'm not going to kill you," Ross said, "I do have some decency after all."

"That's funny, 'cause I haven't noticed any," she scoffed.

He chortled as he started pacing the floors, eyeing the glamorous but disgusted mother on the chair.

"I'd keep silent if I were you, it'll probably go better if we get this over with quickly," he snarled.

"You're a real fine piece of work," she said sarcastically.

Ross approached her and kneeled down in front of her. He gripped her right breast sternly, and reached into his pocket for something else.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Caroline said, trying to ignore his advance, "Come close to me and I might end up tearing your face off with my teeth."

"I thought about that too," Ross said, taking some duct tape out of his pocket, "At least this way you'll finally shut up."

He slapped the tape over her mouth as the poor woman struggled to get away. She tried to yell but her speech was muffled by the tape. There was nothing she could do to escape her grim situation.

"I'll be gentle, I promise," Ross said.

He took out the taser from his left pocket and began to do unmentionable things to the mother.

~*~*~*~*~*

The following morning was an uneasy one, as neither May nor Ash got a wince of sleep the previous night. The entire family was uneasy, as their mother was officially missing for an entire night.

Norman's face was already beginning to heal, his bruises and cuts would remain apparent for a while, but at least he was going to get better. The father greeted his daughter when she walked downstairs, and the two shared a much needed hug after the events of the previous night.

"Any…any progress with the police?" May asked, meekly.

Norman shook his head solemnly. "No," he said.

May hid her face in her hands as she slowly walked over to the kitchen. Ash and Norman exchanged glances after May left the room.

"I was wondering about this, is there any kind of special protection that Gym leaders get?" Ash asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, can't the Elite 4 or someone like them do something about this?" he asked.

"Gym leaders don't get any special treatment over normal people, I'm afraid," Norman responded, "It's not like if someone of royalty is kidnapped and the whole country is in search of the kidnapper…something like this won't get much publicity. News reporters were already on my doorstep in the morning, but I managed to shoo them away. I don't want the abduction of my wife to be publicized on TV so a bunch of people can watch it as entertainment."

"Yeah, the news can be horrible sometimes," Ash sulked.

"The news just wants tragedy to get ratings, they don't give a damn if the situation will get better at all," Norman said, sitting down in his chair.

Ash looked over in the kitchen area as May slowly spread some butter over her toast. The girl was trembling as she held the knife, it looked as if she was too shaken to even eat.

As Ash walked over to the kitchen to give May company, Norman called out to him.

"Thank you, Ash," Norman said.

"Huh?"

"Thank you for comforting May in such a crisis," he said, "You're doing a much better job than I am."

Norman sighed as he put his hand over his face. The man leaned back in his chair and tried to reconcile with himself. Ash nodded solemnly at the distressed father as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Want me to make you something?" Ash asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's ok," May said, taking a nibble of her bread.

"Sure?" he asked.

May took another tiny bite of her bread as she forced out a smile at Ash.

"I'm sure. Thanks for the offer," she said, softly.

Ash smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead. The moment of affection calmed her briefly, but as soon as he walked away her mind returned to her missing mother. She picked up the slice of bread, and took another small bite. Eating nibbles at a time was all she could manage.

~*~*~*~*

Ross lie on the ground unconscious, with the taser and blades surrounding his body. After being degraded the previous night via intercourse, Caroline was left to rot while tied against a pillar that held up the ceiling. Luckily for her, she managed to put her quick thinking to work, and successfully managed to get a grip on the situation.

Although she was unable to avoid her fate the previous night, the next morning was another story as Ross returned for another round. As he approached, Caroline had successfully wrapped her legs around his waist, preventing him from escaping. The taser he was holding was on full charge, and she was able to kick the taser into his face. As the man fell down on the ground, she quickly reached with her legs to move the taser and place it on top of his body. She frantically held the taser in place with her foot as it pulsated on his skin. He was now stunned unconscious with a taser constantly zapping his body.

Her captive was out cold, and Sableye was luckily back in its Pokeball at the time to prevent any outside help, but it still didn't do her any good if she was tied to the pillar. She was completely naked and had no apparel on her that she could use to reach for anything. Her hands were tied around the back of the pillar, disallowing her to use her arms. Her legs were her only source of movement, as they had to be untied in order for the dirty deed to occur previously.

She gasped in joy as she noticed that several of Ross' small blades had fallen out of his leather pocket when he fell to the ground. She reached with her foot to pull one of the small blades toward her, in hope that she can use it to cut the ropes that bound her.

After several attempts, she managed to bring one of the blades near her, but it still didn't do her any good if she couldn't pick it up. She tried to extend her toes to hold the blade between them, in some hope that she can fling it over her head. She ended up doing so, only to throw the blade too far behind her and end up ruining her plan.

"Damn," she muttered, "Too far."

She looked at Ross' body as she noticed the gleam of a Pokeball in his left jacket pocket as well, it had to be Sableye's.

"Hm, the bastard ended up being shocked by his own taser, maybe I can get his Pokemon to help me free," Caroline thought.

She briefly thought of the alternative, and the thought that Sableye might knock the taster off of Ross' body and help him up instead registered in her mind. It was a risky decision, but after being a wife of a Gym leader for so many years, she knew that deep down, Pokemon had morals of right and wrong as well, and she thought that perhaps Sableye would change its tune if she could reason with it. She bit her lower lip in hesitation, and then reached with her leg again to get the Pokeball out of his pocket.

Her toes just barely touched the tip of the Pokeball, as she tried to roll the ball out of his pocket. After quite a number of failed attempts, the strained mother managed to get the ball to roll out of his pocket and onto the floor. She quickly used both her feet to clasp the ball and bring it back toward her.

Hesitating for about a minute, she stared at the Pokeball at her feet and contemplated whether to release the Pokemon or not. She knew it could go either way, and she would end up in a far worse situation if the Pokemon helped Ross instead of her. She looked around the room for any last minute better ideas, but eventually found herself back to her only option, the Pokeball. There was no knight in shining armor ready to bust down the door and rescue her from the sinful environment, if she wanted to escape, she had to do it herself.

"Please, I need to be back with my family," Caroline prayed.

She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer. She then painstakingly lifted the Pokeball with her feet and flung it to the air which prompted the Pokemon to be released from the ball.

Caroline froze with uncertainty as Sableye formed before her very eyes. The Pokemon had its back turned to the woman, and cocked its foreboding head as it turned around to face her. The goblin Pokemon gazed down upon its trainer, who lie on the ground unconscious with a taser on his body. It then looked up at the woman who was tied against the pillar, the very same woman Sableye helped to kidnap in the first place.

"Please, can you help me?" Caroline asked, meekly.

Sableye growled.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42  
**  
She walked. And she walked. And she walked.

She roamed the streets with a dispirited demeanor, one which would be expected from a girl who lost her mother. Her face was full of grief, her rich skin was now pale in comparison to the healthy tones she used to posses. Her large sapphire eyes were once filled with hope, energy and vigor, but now they appeared to be an empty husk with a loss of color. Her body had lost its spirit, as if she was just drifting by aimlessly and no longer cared about the things that once pleased her.

Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she walked, she couldn't sustain a positive gaze on the world around her. She walked slowly without direction, had she had pockets her hands would have been inside rather than gripping onto her skirt tightly. Her long locks of hair messily cascaded down her face, obstructing the view of her face from people who were passing by. She didn't want to be recognized or noticed, not in this town, not in Petalburg City, her hometown.

Caroline's kidnapping was plastered all over the newspapers, television, and was the gossip of the town. It was Petalburg City after all, and she was the wife of the famous Gym leader, Norman. Although Norman did not permit any reporters from getting comments, this did not stop them from banking with the story for their weekly paycheck. The town was getting rich in entertainment with the story of a missing wife and mother, and this disgusted May greatly.

She didn't want to give them the publicity that they were after, not them, not the city. She kept her face low as she walked, avoiding unnecessary attention and being pestered with questions about a tragedy. She knew they didn't care how _she _felt, they just wanted an addition story to fill another few minutes on the evening news.

May tried to figure it out in her head, why would they bother her with this? She was tearing up inside, her whole body was splitting apart from the inside out. Without her mother, an essential figure in her life was gone. She was depressed and felt like falling to pieces, having strangers stuffing microphones in her face to get some words about it would be like nailing the final nail in the coffin of her emotional stability. She didn't need anyone to tear open the wound any more than it was, she was hurting inside, and found it hard to cope to begin with.

She passed by another street corner, roaming aimlessly down another block in Petalburg City. She had no idea how far she walked from her house, she had no idea where she even was. Where she was doing didn't matter, she just needed to _walk. _

The glaring absence of her cheery mother made her want to walk away from the Petalburg Gym as far as possible. She didn't want to be reminded that she wasn't there, that she had lost a mother to the cruel, unforgiving world. She wanted to spend a few hours getting away from it all, trying to get away from the pain and hurt. Little did she know at the time that the pain would continue with her wherever she went, and that the loss of her mother would forever be in her mind until the situation was resolved.

She had recalled what Ash asked her when she wanted to leave the Gym. It was simply concern from the boy to see where the girl he cared for was going, but she needed to be alone.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come along with you?" he asked.

"I just need to walk," she recalled herself replying.

"I want to make sure you'll be ok," he replied in a typical "Ash" tone of voice.

"Stay with Max," she remembered saying, "He'll need you when he wakes up. I…just need to walk."

He would insist that she stay and do everything in his power to show his concern, she knew that his kindhearted personality would always get the best of him. He was Ash after all, and he was the kind of person who meant every single word he said.

"I'm just going to walk. To settle some things in my mind, I'd like you to stay here, for my brother," she said.

She recalled Ash's nod as he knew he was defeated, there was a time when everyone needed to be alone, especially when something pivotal is triggered in ones life. May remembered opening the front door, and once she stepped one foot outside the house, she walked. And she walked. And she walked.

A car honking its horn loudly snapped May's attention back into the present time, when she almost walked into the street while the light was green. The driver yelled out an insult from his window, she didn't manage to catch the exact words, but it was a typical, "Watch where you're going, you dumbass!" type line whenever a driver almost hits some absent-minded person crossing the street.

May watched from behind as the car drove down the street and out of view. She briefly pushed her brown locks back, licked her lips, and continued on her way. There was no way of course, as there was no plot from point A to point B that she was headed. It was a point of continuing onward, somewhere, _anywhere, _as she let her mind dwell on the thoughts of her mother and family.

Time passed, and she got hungry. She was walking for hours, and both her legs and her body needed something to sustain her activity. She noticed a couple of street vendors on the corner, the typical foreigners who would set up their hot dog shops in a big city to make a living. She licked her lips as the smell of the hot dogs and roasted beans caught her attention, almost drawing her to the stands. She pondered what time it was, she didn't remember eating breakfast _that _long ago. She never wore a watch, since the PokeNav always told the time, but that was in possession of her little brother, who was back at the Gym. She was hungry though, so it didn't matter, she needed to scarf something down. She reached her hand back into her yellow fanny pack, which was strapped around her waist as usual, and looked for any spare cash or money she could find.

The food smelled _good, _she was almost frantically pushing aside her apparel in her fanny pack to look for any money or loose change. She was frothing at the mouth, she needed to devour something as quickly as possible. Her hand kept searching her bag as she looked forward at the street vendors, she wasn't feeling anything but a couple of coins.

May sighed as she realized she had no real money on her, only a few coins. A hotdog was only a single dollar however, so if she could find four quarters in her bag, she would be ok. She eventually got so frustrated with blindly searching her bag that she finally took the thing off her waist and pried her eyes away from the vendors to look inside carefully rather than just fidgeting with it.

"Two quarters," May muttered, as she held the two coins in her right hand, "I better have another two."

She continued to search her bag and found another quarter, that made three! While she was searching for a fourth and final quarter however, someone bumped into her while running from behind. May staggered to the side slightly as she wasn't expecting it, and dropped her three coins to the floor.

The woman who bumped into her turned around to apologize. "I'm sorry, I was in a big hurry."

"It's ok, maybe I should have stood on the side rather than standing in the middle of the sidewalk while I search for my quarters," May said.

May glanced up at the woman who looked oddly familiar. She was tall, taller than her by several inches. She had red hair that went down to her shoulders, and was covered in a large overcoat. Her face was well concealed by a pair of sunglasses and a scarf that went over her mouth. Needless to say, her voice also had the hint of familiarity.

She looked at the woman oddly as she bent down to pick up the quarters that were scattered about. May didn't want to pry however, so she carefully searched the pavement for the last remaining quarters. The red-haired woman picked up a quarter for her while May held the other two.

"Three quarters, I need one more," May sighed.

"Oh, did your fourth quarter roll away somewhere? No problem, I can give you one," the woman responded.

May was about to say that she only had three quarters to begin with, but her body desperately needed something to eat. The woman handed May her quarter and took another out of her purse to make it an even four.

"Th-thanks," May said timidly, accepting the fourth quarter.

The red-haired woman nodded and adjusted the sunglasses on her face. With that, she then quickly jogged down the street the same way she did when she bumped into her. May watched for a few moments before the tantalizing smell of the hotdogs caught her attention again. She opened the palm of her hand and squealed as four shiny coins rested in her hand.

"Hey, can I get a hot dog?" May asked with great enthusiasm.

The hotdog vendor smiled at the young girl as he opened a bun and reached inside the vat of grease and oil to pick out a hotdog. She had her hands clasped while watching the man place the hot dog in the bun, her stomach was actually rumbling loudly that the vendor decidedly hurried up.

"Ketchup?" the man asked.

"Oh, yes! Lots of ketchup, please!" May said, happily.

After getting the hot dog just right, he placed it in a napkin and handed it over to her. May smiled and quickly handed the man her four coins, she of course didn't hesitate to chomp down the hot dog as fast as she could. Vendor hot dogs were always flimsy and never really made of much meat, so she knew she could probably eat through the thing in a few bites. After delightfully eating three quarters of the hot dog, she decided to take her time and nibble on the remaining pieces. This was her only source of food for a while at least, so she wanted to enjoy it.

She walked over to the side of the street and continued to nibble away at her dog, minding her own business as she ate.

"That was Norman's daughter? Oh, I just set up shop in this town a little while ago, I didn't know!" the hot dog man said.

May swallowed the pieces in her mouth and gulped the rest down. She turned her head cautiously as she heard her name being called in the distance. A newswoman dressed in proper attire and a cameraman came running toward her as quickly as possible. The reporter had beady eyes and a gigantic microphone, while the cameraman had the most obnoxious and old fashioned camera still in existence in the modern world.

"Crap," May muttered to herself.

Fearing that this might happen if she went out alone, she tried walking away from the news crew to avoid unnecessary attention. She knew that her luck held out for a long time without bumping into any nosy reporters, but sadly, the luck was bound to end sometime.

"Miss, can you wait a second!" the reporter insisted.

"No, I'm not doing any interviews," May said, bluntly.

"Just for a few seconds, it'll only take a moment of your time!" the reporter said.

May tried to walk forward but the woman stood right in front of her and shoved the microphone in her face. She looked behind her as the cameraman had his humongous camera already zoomed in on her as well. She was being cornered by the feisty media, something she dreaded might happen. She cursed herself under her breath for not wearing a hooded jacket or something similar, that way she could have covered her face more effectively so nobody would notice her.

"Your father unfortunately refused to comment on his reaction to his wife's kidnapping, but I'm sure you have a few things to say, yes?" the woman asked, "Hey, Charlie, if we manage to get this interview going we'll have the scoop on all other networks! None of them have managed to get a proper interview with Norman or his family, but we got one in the palms of our hands!"

"Right, let's get this rolling," Charlie said.

May looked at the news reporters distastefully, as expected, they were only eager to get their ratings and paychecks, and truthfully didn't give a damn about her missing mother. She crossed her arms and grinded her teeth, she was losing her temper quickly.

"Now then, can you tell us how you feel at the moment with your mother missing?" the lady asked.

"How do you think I feel?" May snapped.

"Well," the lady said, "A few non-rhetoric words for the camera won't hurt, yes, dear?"

She shoved the microphone further into her face. May tried to angrily look away before she snapped, as she could no longer tolerate being used as a piece of promotion for a news station. What caught her attention as she looked away however, nearly shocked her.

May's mouth gaped as she saw a man in all leather walking in the street next to the street vendors, his hair was shaved and had several chains dangling on his chest. When she walked a few steps closer as her eyes opened wide, she knew it was him; the kidnapper.

"Uh, miss?" the newswoman asked.

"I…I don't believe it," May gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Ross was walking quickly down the street, so she knew if he wasn't followed now, she'd lose sight of him. She quickly turned to the news crew as she got an idea.

"The man who kidnapped my mother, I see him walking over there!" May exclaimed.

The newswoman and Charlie were bewildered as May urged them to follow her. After a few moments of hesitation, they decided to quickly run after the girl with the camera rolling.

_I can't let him know we're following him, but I don't want to lose track of him either, _May thought, _I…might never find Mom if I don't follow him…I have to keep him in my sights. That bastard is going to hell for this, I'll make sure of it! _

May eyed him as he turned a corner down the street, in which she slowly inched her way to the side of the building. She wanted to keep some distance so he didn't notice anyone nearby, yet she knew she couldn't let him get too far. She turned around to make sure the news people were still with her, if she could get them to film where he was going, the police would have a lead as to where her mother was being held.

"Be quiet, and follow me," May urged them.

"I'm not too sure about this," Charlie said.

"Quiet, this could be the scoop that we're waiting for," the reporter remarked.

May continued to eye Ross from a distance as she noticed him enter into an alley. She suddenly had a flashback of when she and Ash saw Ross while they were coming home from the mall, and realized this was the exact same alley as the one he was in right now. She quickly looked around at the buildings around her, and sure enough, this was the same street they walked home from the mall in.

She wiped some sweat off her forehead, and felt slightly discouraged once again. If Ross was hanging out in an alley again, then perhaps following him wouldn't lead her to her mother after all. It seemed like he was just taking a stroll around town, rather then heading back to his "hideout" like May figured.

The thought then registered in her mind, should she confront him?

May had some conflicting thoughts as this was the same man who gave her father several harsh fists to the face and knocked him unconscious in front of their house. If her proud and confident father was dispatched of quite easily, what chance would she have?

Her hand moved over her fanny pack, she knew that if need be, her Pokemon would be there to help her out. More than anything though, she wanted Ross to be captured on film so his face would be plastered all over the news. In addition to that, if she was able to knock him out, the police would be able to interrogate him to find her missing mother.

May cautiously looked over at the two news people who were hovering over her shoulder. She originally wanted to blow these two off for exploiting her sadness on television for ratings, but now the tables have turned, and they might actually be of some use to her after all.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, this would be no easy task. She knew that a lot was riding on the outcome, as this might be the only time she ever sees Ross out on the street. She remembered the vow she made to her mother about how she wanted to be courageous and confident like her, and how she wanted to have the strength of Ash and her parents, rather than letting everyone walk all over her like Ross and Precita and her friends did in the past. With none of her friends around her and nobody to turn to but herself, she took another deep breath and quickly jogged across the street.

May hugged the side of the building, as she knew when she looked in the corner of the alley, he would be right there. The news crew were standing right next to her as well, and she urged them not to make too much noise with the clunky camera. If case need be, she might need them to help her bring the man who kidnapped her mother down.

"I'm going to quickly run into the alley with my Pokemon at my side," May whispered, "I want you two to stand behind me, so the man has no means of escape and will have to push through you two to get out of the alley."

"This is sounding a bit dangerous," the newswoman said, "I'm not sure if I'm being paid enough for this."

"You want your friggin news story, don't you? If you want to be a coward then just leave, but if you want to get your "precious" story, then I suggest you do as I say," May retorted.

The reporter and Charlie exchanged glances. May nodded at them and slowly let out her Combusken next to her. A fighting-type Pokemon like Combusken would be her best bet to confront Ross with, especially since he wouldn't stand a chance against attacks like Mega Kick or Sky Uppercut from her Pokemon.

"Combusken, I need you more than ever for this. Don't disappoint me," May said.

"Combusken," Combusken nodded.

May took another deep breath, her heart was pounding. The adrenaline was pumping in her body as her flight-or-fight scenario began to take affect. She wanted more than ever to deliver Ross to justice for kidnapping her mother and beating up her father, and she knew she could make no errors in doing so. She tried to relieve herself of her fear that Ross might physically attack her, but she promised herself that no matter what happened to her, she would take him down eventually.

May and Combusken knew how dire and important the situation was, and both of them were practically in sync for the upcoming struggle. This would be the first time she ever used her Pokemon to attack another human, to effectively harm and dispatch of him with vengeance in mind specifically. She knew that this wasn't proper, but there were times that rules needed to be disregarded, especially if she had any hope of ever seeing her precious mother again.

With one last deep breath to calm herself down, she was ready to confront Ross. She quickly darted across the opening between the buildings and stood in the entrance of the alley way. Sure enough, Ross stood there with his back leaned against the wall, twirling his chains that dangled off his chest.

May's eyes twitched with anger as she saw how nonchalantly Ross was leaning against the wall. This man committed horrible sins, yet he was just walking out in the open without a care in the world. He had to be stopped.

"Hey, whaddya know!" Ross said, smiling as he walked away from the wall, "Don't I know you?"

The news reporter and cameraman stood behind May, blocking the entrance like they promised they would, in order to prevent Ross from making a run for it. May stood in front of them, her loyal Combusken by her side, ready to deliver the worst if need be.

"I'll ask you once, and only once. Where's my mother?" May asked, angrily.

"Hm, your mother? I don't know, she's probably chained to a wall somewhere, I forget where exactly," Ross snickered.

"Wrong answer," May said, "Combusken, Mega Kick!"

"Combuuuusken!" the Pokemon shrieked.

It leaped off its burly legs into the air, as it positioned itself to deliver a devastating kick to its opponent. The feathers on its head and foot began to glow a majestic blue hue, as the attack was channeling all the chi within its body.

Ross wasn't quite sure what to expect, but he could certainly not dodge a Pokemon that was coming right for him. Combusken's foot struck Ross directly in the stomach, as the man was kicked backward all the way into a wall in the back of the alley. Ross fell to the floor and panted, spitting out saliva from his mouth after receiving the blow.

Combusken landed down right in front of May, as the Pokemon and trainer smiled triumphantly. The reporters were catching it on tape, Charlie had his camera zoomed in on a gasping Ross on his hands and knees. The newswoman was grasping her microphone excitedly as she was getting the scoop she was hoping for. May eyed the man with contempt, she was not used to such brutality, but he deserved it. Nobody could do such horrible things to her parents and get away with it.

"…that was…pretty good," Ross gasped, wiping the saliva off his chin. It took him a couple of seconds, but he managed to stand up on his legs again, although his stomach was still pounding.

"How could you do such a thing!" May yelled, her emotions getting the best of her. "Why couldn't you just go to some other Gym to get a badge instead of tearing apart my family?!"

Ross staggered a bit as he wiped his brow. He grinned that same mocking way he always did, as he continued to twirl the chain on his neck. He reached into his pocket and took out a blade; a pocketknife.

May was aghast as she saw the weapon, she trembled a tad as she struggled to regain her composure. Combusken stood warily, ready to protect May at all costs.

"Who are your friends back there? News reporters?" Ross scoffed, twirling the blade in his hand.

The newswoman and Charlie looked over at Ross, as the feeling of danger began to loom over them. They wanted to get the news, sure, but putting themselves in a life-threatening situation was another story.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I'm not ready for my 15 minutes of fame just yet," Ross said.

In the blink of the eye, he threw the blade from his hands toward the people in front of him. May didn't budge as the blade whizzed a couple of inches past Combusken's feathers. The blade then found its target and struck the lens of the camera, shattering the glass to pieces as electrical sparks flickered about.

"Damn!" Charlie gasped, as he dropped the broken camera to the floor.

The reporter and Charlie exchanged nervous glances as they eyed the destroyed camera on the floor. May and Combusken turned around and noticed what happened. Ross managed to hit a perfect bulls eye, if his aim was a bit off, the knife might of struck Charlie's arm rather than the lens of the camera.

The news people looked at each other in unison, and realized that this wasn't worth putting their lives to risk at. They then cowardly ran away from the entrance of the alley as fast as they could, and darted down the street to safety.

"Hey, wait!" May pleaded, "I needed you two to block the entrance!"

It was of no use, the reporters had run away to save their own hides and left the girl in the alley to confront Ross herself. Ross cackled as May and Combusken's attention returned to him.

"That was fun, in any case, I'm not ready for my close-up, as I said," Ross laughed.

"Busken," Combusken uttered, looking up at May.

May wasn't sure if she should make a break for it as well. After all, she was standing near the entrance, and the knife he threw was sitting behind her, so he probably didn't have any other weapons on hand either. She contemplated over recalling Combusken and darting for safety, but then again, she had managed to deliver a blow to the man, and he was the only one who knew where her mother was. Her heart pounded against her chest quite rapidly, this was a do or die situation.

May timidly shifted her gaze to the man in front of her, as he stood quite awkwardly without making a sound. She hoped that he didn't have another weapon in his pocket, because he threw the first knife so fast that she couldn't even register what happened until she heard glass shattering behind her. If he had another blade, she knew she could be in serious trouble.

"Well, May, what's it going to be?" Ross asked, cracking his knuckles.

She grunted, and prepared to continue her attack.

"I just want my Mom back," May said, weakly.

"Heh, your mother certainly was fun. She actually tried to escape from my place earlier this morning, but thanks to my Sableye, we were able to bring her back down into reality and chain her back to the wall," Ross said, "She certainly was a tricky woman, she even managed to knock me unconscious at one point."

May gasped as she backed up a step. "Is…is my Mom alright? Did you do anything to her?!"

"Don't worry, she's fine for the moment. Of course, after she tried to escape I gave her a deserving punishment, I'm surprised she was able to withstand all the torture."

"What…" she gasped, her throat feeling dry.

"And, if you're wondering, yes, I did rape her, a number of times actually," Ross said.

May shook her head as he eyes began to water. She backed up a few more steps toward the entrance of the alley, back to the broad daylight that would lead her to safety. The horrible realization of what her mother was going through finally caught up with her, and she could barely even breathe correctly without feeling like she was going to fall into pieces. The man who was destroying her family was standing right in front of her, yet she nearly lost her will to do anything to stop him. She was terrified, and the fear was consuming her completely.

_Mom, _May thought.

It was the one thing that was pounding in her mind. Her mother was such a kind and caring person, the concept of Ross doing horrible things to her almost made May lose her emotional stability completely. Her pulse quickened, her body temperature rose, and her heart was nearly leaping out of her chest.

_I need my mother back! _

Combusken could sense its trainer's tension, and immediately opened its mouth to fire a projectile attack at the rapist. Rings of fire began to emerge from its beak, as the Pokemon launched its Fire Spin attack at the attacker.

Ross quickly darted to the ground to avoid the fiery rings, as the heat just quickly warmed his back and struck the wall behind him. Needless to say, one missed attack wasn't enough to discourage Combusken, especially since it knew what was on the line.

"Combusken, Sky Uppercut!" May commanded.

"Combusken!" it roared.

The Pokemon lowered its arm to the ground as its claws began to scrape up the pavement as it went charging for Ross. The man was still lying flat on his stomach from dodging the fire attack, but now he struggled to reach into his pocket for something as Combusken was drawing near.

May caught whim of what Ross was reaching for and called out to her Pokemon desperately.

"Combusken, stop!" May pleaded.

It was too late however, as Combusken was a few inches away from Ross before she called out its name. Before it picked up its arm from the ground, Ross reached into his pocket and pulled out his taser. He immediately struck the Pokemon with the weapon as the electricity coursed through Combusken's body. The fowl Pokemon shrieked in pain as it toppled over backward from the electrical shock.

"Combusken!" May screamed.

Combusken was on the ground, flinching erratically from the weapon.

"This taser still comes in handy, I gotta say that," Ross said, licking his lips as he juggled the taser in the air.

"NO!" May cried.

She immediately reached for its Pokeball and shot out a red beam of light toward Combusken. The poor Pokemon was retracted back into its ball, where she safely put it back in her fanny pack. She couldn't bear to think of what Ross might do to it if she left it on the ground any longer, so she recalled it almost instinctively.

Her eyes twitched as another one of her loved ones was taken down by Ross, her first Pokemon; Combusken.

"You see, May, you just can't win," Ross said, "Why don't you just give yourself up then? If you come with me willingly, I'll promise I'll reunite you with your mother."

May was silent.

"I mean sure, I'll probably never let you leave my pad once you come with me, but at least you'll see your dear old mother again. She may not be quite what you remember though, but she's still your mother, more or less," Ross said.

"I…"

Ross put his taser back in his pocket as he slowly walked toward the girl. He put his hands behind his head as he grinned, he knew he could easily dispatch her if he wanted to.

"Besides, if I already have the mother why don't I add the daughter to make a complete set? I promise to open you up to a world you never knew existed," Ross said.

May looked around the alley and then turned to her fanny pack, could she risk sending out another one of her Pokemon after what happened to Combusken?

She stepped backward and looked toward the open street behind her, she was still able to make a break for it if need be. If she ran though, there was no telling if she could ever find Ross again.

Just as she felt like she was running out of time, a glimmer appeared to sparkle on the side of the building, mysteriously floating in mid-air. She couldn't quite grasp what it was, but it appeared to be forming into something. She pondered over if it could be his Sableye…but it didn't resemble it, whatever it was.

"You're…going to get hurt," May gasped.

"Haha!" Ross laughed, "What in the world do you mean by that? You're not going to threaten me with one of your cute little Pokemon again, are you?"

"No, but you're still going to get hurt," May said, forcing out a mocking grin.

Ross looked at her confused, and then realized that something seemed to be hovering near the wall of the building in mid-air. He turned to it frantically as he wondered what it was, as the mysterious glow began to form into a dark purple ball.

"Is that a…Shadow Ball?" Ross pondered.

The ball then immediately launched itself from the air and collided with Ross, propelling him harshly against the brick wall. He smacked his head against the bricks on impact, and due to him having a shaved head, it hurt him quite a bit. His head was bleeding, as the blood slid off the wall while Ross fell to the ground, sitting on his knees.

Taking advantage of the situation, May quickly ran up to Ross and grabbed him by the collar of his leather vest.

"WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!" May demanded.

He was too stunned to give a reply.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" May repeated, more desperate and fearful in tone.

She shook him violently as she continued to slam his head against the wall repeatedly. She was becoming emotional as tears ran down her face, unable to get an answer from the rapist who still had her mother in an unknown location.

"ANSWER ME!" she shrieked, her voice mixed with anxiety and frustration.

"Damn," Ross grunted, feeling blood run down the back of his scalp.

Once he quickly realized what was happening, he summoned whatever strength that was still in his body to get up from the floor and push May aside. The girl fell on her buttocks to the ground, and Ross quickly ran out of the alley as fast as he could. The girl got up from the floor frantically, and exited the alley.

She frantically looked in all directions at the streets and sidewalks, but the man was nowhere to be seen. May cursed herself repeatedly under her breath as Ross had gotten away.

She pushed her hand through her hair and felt her forehead, as she slowly inched her way backward to lean against the side of a building. She rubbed her arm over her eyes to try and take away her tears, the girl was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

As she leaned against the wall in her misery, the small energy that was floating in the air slowly began to take shape beside her. The girl jumped to the side quickly, uncertain whether this mysterious energy would be friend or foe.

The energy began to reveal an entity, feminine in nature. It was covered in a white and green hue, as it had a skirt like opening near the bottom of its legs. It had small tender arms, both of which were white. Its face was white and the top of its head had a green hair-like substance that went down its back.

"A...Gardevoir?" May gasped.

"Garde-voir," Gardevoir replied, giving off a harmonious nature.

"H-how…wh-at?" May struggled to say, as she shook her head.

Gardevoir pointed to a woman with red hair in a long overcoat, a pair of sunglasses and a scarf who was running toward her direction. May nervously looked at that person, as she was immediately recognizable. It was the same woman who helped her with her quarters back at the hot dog stand.

"You…" May gasped.

"Are you ok?" the woman asked.

"I-I think so…but…did you help me with that Shadow ball attack? Is…is this your Gardevoir?" May asked, timidly.

"Garde-voir," Gardevoir smiled.

May turned to Gardevoir, the Pokemon appeared to be oddly familiar as well. Her recollection then caught up with her as she made an astonishing discovery.

"You're the same Gardevoir that helped with Swellow's surgery back at the Pokemon Center near Latrommi's laboratory!" May gasped.

Gardevoir nodded, it was indeed the same Pokemon that helped to heal Ash's Swellow after it was crushed by a tree several weeks ago.

"Yeah, Professor Latrommi let me borrow it when I said there was trouble brewing," the woman said.

"But…what? Who are you then?" May asked, confused.

The woman chuckled, slowly removing her sunglasses and scarf to reveal her face. She let her red hair go down to her shoulders as she smiled at May.

"Tana?!" May exclaimed.

"Long time no see, huh?" Tana chortled.

"This doesn't make any sense, I thought you were with Brock and Jamie! What are you doing here with the Professor's Gardevoir?" May asked.

Tana frowned. "I'm afraid Brock is in trouble, and I know it's connected to the same man who kidnapped your mother," she said, "I was running down the street to try and find Ross, I didn't want to get you involved unless I had to. When Gardevoir tracked him down during that skirmish, I knew there was no choice but to fill you in. That's why I came to save you, I need your help."

"Some-thing happened to Brock…too?" May asked, stuttering.

"It's a long story, but if we can regroup I can let you in on everything. I just want to let you know that Professor Latrommi is doing everything he can to help out, just like Gardevoir here is doing," Tana said.

"Gardevoir, garde-voir!" Gardevoir said.

"Do you know of any place where we can sit calmly to discuss this? You look completely frazzled yourself," Tana said.

"I – I know, uh…my house is not too far from here, I can lead you there," May said, "I…I don't know what in the world is going on, but…"

She quickly turned to Gardevoir and made a request.

"My Combusken was hit with a taser, and it's…it's probably suffering in its Pokeball right now. Could you please heal it with your Recover technique, Gardevoir?"

Gardevoir nodded.

"Indeed, first let's get you out of here," Tana said, "Put your hand on Gardevoir's arm, we're going to teleport out of here."

"Uh…o-okay," May said timidly, resting the palm of her hand on the shoulder of the Pokemon.

Tana put her hand on Gardevoir's left shoulder as well. "Alright, Gardevoir, you can probably read May's thoughts now that she's in physical contact with you, so you know where the Gym is. Teleport us to her home, we really need to regroup," Tana instructed, "By the way, is Ash still with you?"

"Y-yes," May nodded.

"Good, we're going to need his help too," Tana said.

May still didn't have the slightest clue of what was going on, but she knew that she was at least safe for the moment in the presence of Latrommi's Gardevoir and Tana, who she knew as Brock's girlfriend from Atona beach.

Gardevoir began to glow a bright white light, and seconds later, the three of them disappeared completely out of sight. They were being teleported back to the Petalburg Gym, where May would hopefully discover a way to rescue her mother from Ross, as well as discover Brock's whereabouts, once and for all.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

The mood in the Petalburg Gym was somber, yet filled with a renewed sense of hope. May curled herself up on an armchair, with a blanket covering her body and a cup of hot coffee in her hands. She sipped from her cup slowly, trying to absorb all the new information given to her by the person who intervened during her struggle with Ross in the alley, Tana.

She was still terribly shaken up by the revelation that horrible things were happening to her mother, it was a disturbing and heartbreaking thought for the young girl. She was frustrated and repulsed, so much so that she immediately wanted to storm out of her house again after Tana revealed some new information about Ross. She couldn't let her mother rot away in some hole as she was being abused and tortured, and she was over-anxious to rush out onto the street to find Ross again and bring him to justice. After being physically restrained and told to calm down by her father, Norman, May managed to subdue her fear and anxiety for her mothers safety, and rest up a bit before rushing into action without a plan.

Her hands trembled as some coffee spilled out of her cup and stained her white skirt, but she didn't care. For all she knew, her mother could be enduring some unimaginable pain while she was sitting on a chair doing nothing. She tried to push the disturbing images out of her head, for it would allow her to think clearly and not feel hopeless. She struggled with her psychological turmoil, no matter how this situation would be resolved, the horrifying tragedy would forever be burned into her mind, and would stick with her for the rest of her life. Whatever the case, she knew she had to rescue her mother as soon as possible, but her father and the others didn't see eye to eye.

"You could have been hurt! Why did you confront that man in the alley?!"

That was what her father scolded her with. She had always loved her father, but instead of being proud of his daughter for nearly bringing down the man that kidnapped his wife, he instead decided to scold her, perhaps out of the fear that he would lose his daughter, in addition to his wife. Norman was already suffering an emotional heartache over the abduction of his wife, and he was fearful that his only daughter could have fallen victim to the same man. May understood his reaction, fair enough, she did put herself into physical danger. Yet at the same time, she was as frustrated as ever with him for not working toward rescuing Caroline as efficiently as possible.

There was also her younger brother, Max, who was awake and in the living room when May was transported back to her house with Tana and Gardevoir. The first thing May's eyes connected with were her little brother's sad and innocent face, and she immediately rushed over and hugged him in her arms. She almost didn't let him go, for she knew as painful as she felt about losing her mother, Max was in a state of shock. As she was cradling her brother in her arms, Tana explained everything to Ash and Norman.

"I've been using Gardevoir to try and track down Ross for about a week," Tana said, "Being a psychic Pokemon, she can sometimes sense a certain person after being in close vicinity of them. After searching on the mainland where Jamie and I were staying, Gardevoir's search led us to Petalburg City. I…was rushing down the street disguised so I wouldn't be recognized, when I accidentally bumped into May. I immediately recognized her, but realized it would be best to confront Ross myself rather than put her in danger, so I pretended not to know her. A little while after that, Gardevoir was finally able to lock on to Ross' location, where we found May battling him with Combusken in an alley."

"I can't believe she would do something so stupid like that," Norman said, angrily, "May, you should know better!"

May frowned and continued holding her brother as her father scolded her.

"I think it's perfectly reasonable!" Ash retorted, "She wants her mother safe and sound more than anything…I…I know I would do the same thing if my Mom was ever missing."

Ash defended her, as usual. May smiled, he was always on her side no matter what the situation, and she appreciated it.

"She nearly took the man down, your daughter is truly a courageous girl, Norman," Tana said, "I would expect no less from the daughter of a Gym leader."

"My Combusken," May uttered, faintly.

She held its Pokeball in her right hand while her left still held her brother close, Gardevoir quickly took it out of her hands. Combusken materialized on the floor, still flinching from being hurt by the taser. Gardevoir knew immediately how to heal the Pokemon, as it had been trained in the medical field for several years by Professor Latrommi and Nurse Joy. Having a ton of experience at a number of Pokemon Centers, the Pokemon quickly pressed its hands against Combusken's chest as it used its "Recover" technique. Gardevoir and Combusken glowed in a bright blue aura as the healing technique was being administered.

May watched timidly with a confused Max by her side, as her starter Pokemon was being relieved of its disorientation.

"It's going to take a while for Gardevoir to be finished, just so you know," Tana said.

"Thank you," May replied, it was all she wanted to say.

"Why do you have Gardevoir in the first place?" Ash asked, impulsively, "It's Professor Latrommi's Pokemon, why did he give it to you?"

"Because I needed help, and the Professor was the only person I could turn to," Tana said, frowning, "Since you and May had started traveling again, Professor Latrommi was the only other person I was familiar with that I could go to for help. I knew all about him thanks to Brock telling me on the beach, especially after that weird walking Premium Ball fiasco that stole your money, plus I went to visit you guys at the lab before you set off again, remember? I didn't even ask for Gardevoir, but once I told my problem to him, he immediately insisted that I use one of his most trusted Pokemon, and called for it to be transported over to his lab so he could give it to me. He really trusts me with Gardevoir it seems, which is strange, because I'm almost like a total stranger to him. I guess when I told him about Brock, Latrommi immediately sprang into action because he cared so much about him and the rest of you, since he considers you guys to be his friends."

"You never did explain why Brock isn't with you. Is he with Jamie or something?" Ash asked.

"It's…a long story," Tana sighed as she sat down on the couch, "A really long story."

"I don't know, from what you say, the Professor seems to be extremely worried about Brock as if something bad happened to him. This isn't all connected to Ross, is it?" Ash asked.

"It must be," Norman said, "Why else would she be trying to track down the same man who kidnapped my wife?"

"Mom," May muttered as her eyes scanned over Combusken's body.

"I'm right about this, aren't I?" Norman asked, turning to Tana. "You said you were searching for Ross with Gardevoir, that must mean that Brock is related to this incident as well. Ross is a real low class scumbag, but he's not a well known person or anything of the sort. How did you come across this man?"

Tana's face began to broaden, as she sat up astute in her seat. What she had to tell them wasn't easy, but she knew it had to be done.

"I'll try to make this as simple as possible," Tana said, carefully, "Jamie, my friend, and Ross know one another. They're…good friends."

May's eyes twitched.

"Damn, well, how do I put it?" Tana pondered, "Jamie and I…kind of duped Brock into thinking we liked him."

"What?" May gasped, turning around quickly.

Tana slouched in her seat, she began to look uneasy.

"When we met Brock on the beach, it was right after Jamie had broken up with her ex-boyfriend…and she wanted someone with a little more dignity. Brock seemed like a nice candidate, but when he revealed to us that he used to be the Pewter Gym leader, that's when Jamie and I realized he was a perfect match. So…we kind of threw ourselves all over him," Tana said, reluctantly.

May suddenly stood up and faced Tana.

"What does that have to do with Ross?" May snapped, holding Max by her side.

Tana took a deep breath as the worried siblings clung to one another, waiting for her to finish her story.

"You see, a Gym leader is a very important person. They're officially licensed by the Pokemon league to give out badges to winning trainers. They get paid a healthy salary. They end up being famous in their hometown and even the whole region. Gym leader's seem to lead such great lifestyles, however, there are also a bunch of people who are envious of Gym leaders, and well, want to take their position," Tana said, "When Brock told us he was a Gym leader, Jamie and I agreed that he was the one to introduce to her ex-boyfriend."

"Which is…" Norman realized.

"Yes, he's the man who kidnapped your wife, Ross," Tana said.

"So then what happened?" May yelled emotionally, "You let Jamie take Brock to Ross, and now he's gone too?"

"May, calm down!" Norman shouted.

"And you lied the whole time when you said you really liked Brock?" May continued to yell, pushing her brother aside, "What kind of person are you, Tana? I thought you were our friend, I thought you and Jamie really liked Brock. I…thought that Brock was finally going to be happy."

"May, please," Tana said, rubbing her right eye.

May continued to argue with Tana, so much so that Gardevoir was beginning to lose its concentration with healing Combusken. The Psychic Pokemon raised its head and stated that the noise was bothering it during the healing process.

Ash and Max quickly ran over to May and tried to comfort her, they both put their hands on her shoulders and walked her backward to a seat on Norman's armchair.

"She lied to him, to us!" May cried.

"I know, but we need to hear the rest of her story," Ash said, "For your mother, May, for your mother."

May looked up at Ash and slowly turned her face away in disgust. She was frustrated that two people she trusted may have led Brock into the same dangerous situation that her mother was in. Was everything that happened down at Atona beach just a farce?

"Tana, please go on," Norman insisted, "I'd like to know everything about Ross and how I can get my wife back. My daughter can get very emotional, you have to understand that."

"Dad, sometimes I wonder if you really have no emotions AT ALL!" May retorted, "You're too calm for your own good."

"Sis, please," Max whimpered, "I want to see Mom again, let her talk."

"But, Max, after what she said about Brock?" May asked.

"Just let her talk, please," Max said, as a few tears ran down his cheek.

"Max," she said, softly.

Max climbed up on the armchair and squeezed himself next to his sister. Norman glanced at Ash, and he knew immediately to stand next to them. He knew how close Ash was with his family, and intended for Ash to stand near his children and comfort them if need be.

Gardevoir nodded as it continued to perform its technique now that the noise was gone, and the blue aura encompassed the patient completely. After a few seconds of total silence, Tana continued telling them what she knew.

"Yes, May, Brock is being held at Ross' place too," Tana said reluctantly.

"Disgusting," May responded.

"But this is why I want to make things right again. I know you probably won't believe me, but after spending all those days on the beach with Brock…I really did fall in love with him," Tana said, sighing, "Jamie didn't feel the same way, not so much anyway, as she was still willing to use Brock as a tool for Ross. Strange, she broke up with Ross because of his controlling and sadistic personality, but…she seems to want to make up with him. I…I guess by handing Brock over to him…it's her way of saying she's sorry."

"Go on," Norman said.

"She's such a fool," Tana said, shaking her head, "She's going to get herself back into trouble again. I wish I could do something to convince her to stay away from Ross, but she's too loyal to him. She…actually picked him over me, if that's any indication as to where her loyalties lie."

"So you mean Jamie is with Ross right now too?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I believe so. This…this is why I came to Professor Latrommi and you guys. I…I want to save them all. I want to atone for what I did, I…I want to save my friend from going down the wrong path. You guys don't know Ross like I do, he's a man who enjoys inflicting cruelty and pain upon people, and is amused by the despair of others. I…don't want to see Jamie fall victim to that man twice. I want to save Brock before it's too late, I feel horrible for contributing to such a situation. And of course, I want to save your Mom."

"How did you know that Ross had my mother in the first place?" May asked, irritably.

"It's all over the news," Tana replied, "Once I started to search for Ross using Gardevoir and entered Petalburg City, I couldn't escape it. Caroline's kidnapping was all over the newspapers and the TV, and when Ross was identified as the kidnapper, I nearly gasped in shock. I already feared what reaction you guys would have to Brock being kidnapped…I…I didn't know what to think when it happened to your mother as well. The news really shocked me."

"Figures that those low-life reporters and TV stations would glorify the kidnapping of my wife all over the media," Norman grunted, "They're cowards, every one of them. And to think that being a Gym leader, the news will only continue to publicize this further for ratings. Truly disgusting, and those reporters are nothing but cowards."

May sighed as she recalled the reporters fleeing the alley when she asked them to help her with Ross. "You're right, Dad," she said.

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked, while resting on Ash's shoulder.

"You're right," Ash responded, "I don't get it, why does Ross need Brock anyway? If it's for the Gym badge thing, Ross can't use a Kanto badge to qualify for the Hoenn league. And besides, was Ross really that desperate for a last badge that he asked you and Jamie to bring him a Gym leader?"

"I don't think it is about needing a badge, Ash," Norman said, "He might be desperate to qualify for the Pokemon league, after all, he did assault my family when I banned him from my Gym, but this sounds more like jealousy as well. I'm guessing that he wants to become a Gym leader himself, so it would make him feel like he has some authority. Right now he's nothing but a nameless street punk, but as a Gym leader, he would be well respected and have real power."

"You're probably right," Tana said, "He's always had a thing for wanting power, I noticed it when Jamie was dating him. He always wanted to be in control and have some kind of dominance over people."

"But he's insane if he thinks that by kidnapping Brock that he could become a Gym leader!" Ash exclaimed, "What does he think, that somehow he can gain control of the Pewter Gym or something? That doesn't even make sense!"

"Would it need to make sense, for Ross though?" Norman countered, "He is not a healthy man, I imagine there is something wrong with him. In his twisted mind, he might believe that he can actually gain leadership of a Gym if he has a current Gym leader in his possession. If worst comes to worst, he might actually kill Brock and try to assume his identity."

"DAD!" May screamed.

"You can't say that Brock is going to die!" Max yelled, bursting into tears.

May quickly pulled her brother into her arms and let him wet her shirt with his tears again.

"Dad, you're always like that!" May exclaimed, "Brock is our close friend, you can't just say he'll be killed without a care in the world! I can't believe you sometimes!"

"May, I'm sorry. I was speaking rhetorically, I didn't mean to frighten you two," Norman said.

"You sure did a pretty good job at that," May scoffed, caressing a terrified Max in her arms.

"Great," Ash muttered.

Tana impatiently waved to get Ash's attention.

"I have to ask, Ash, will you help me?" Tana asked.

"Of course I will, I'm not going to let him get away with doing terrible things to Brock and their mother," Ash said, "In fact, I'll be willing to go with you as soon as Gardevoir finishes healing Combusken."

"Thanks, I'll need your help. I'm not sure what we might have to deal with when we arrive," Tana said.

"I'm going too," May said. She brushed her fingers through her brothers' hair as he looked up at her. "I'm getting my Mom back."

"May, it might be dangerous," Ash warned.

"Save your breath, Ash, you're not going to talk me out of it. You know that," May said.

Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances as they sighed. They knew trying to persuade her otherwise would be a lost cause at this point.

"May…thanks," Tana said, "If we come through this thing successful, I hope you can forgive me at some point."

"So we're going to use Gardevoir to try and track Ross down then, right? We might have a long search ahead of us, so we might as well think of a plan now before we get going," Ash said.

Norman stepped forward and towered over Ash.

"None of you are going anywhere," Norman said sternly.

"What?" Ash asked, surprised.

"Sorry, you and May are staying here. I'm not letting you two risk yourselves as you try to play the heroes in some rescue attempt. It is not going to happen," Norman said.

"Dad, you've got to be kidding me!" May yelled.

"QUIET!" Norman bellowed, "You're staying here before you end up getting yourselves killed."

May sunk down in her chair a bit when Norman raised his voice, he was always a little scary when he screamed.

"But…I needed their help," Tana said, meekly.

"You're getting mine," Norman said, turning to her, "I'm not going to let my daughter or her friend thrust themselves into a dangerous situation, they'll stay here with Max."

"Norman, I thought you said that I mean a lot to your family!" Ash retorted, "Why won't you let me help you rescue Caroline? It looks like you could use all the help you can get!"

"NO!" Norman shouted.

"Pika-pikachu," Pikachu sulked, lowering its ears.

"Forget it, Ash," May said angrily, "Dad wants to have things his way."

She got up from the armchair and forcefully brushed past her father as she walked toward Gardevoir and Combusken. The annoyed girl flicked her hair as she kneeled down in front of her recovering Pokemon.

Norman turned toward Max, who was still sitting on the armchair. "Go to your sister," Norman instructed.

Max nodded meekly, and scurried over to her. With all the commotion and the current crisis going on, he didn't want to do anything that might upset or challenge his father.

"So…that's it, you won't let us come?" Ash asked, irritably.

"No, and you know why," Norman said, placing his hands on Ash's shoulders. The Gym leader and the boy exchanged long, determined stares, their opposing points were being well implied. "I'll accompany Tana with my Slaking, and I'll promise to bring back my wife and Brock safely. This means as much to me as it does to you, and I'm sure you understand after all the talks we've been through."

"I…I don't know what to say. I respect you, Norman, but I think I have to side with your daughter on this one. We've been through some pretty dangerous situations before, and we always managed to pull through, I'm sure it is heartbreaking for May to not come along to save her Mom," Ash said.

"I know, and that's why I need you alive," Norman said sternly, placing his hands down harder on Ash's shoulders, "If…I don't make it back, I need someone to continue to look after my kids. May and Max are your family now as much as they are mine, I need the three of you to be safe."

May and Max overheard their fathers conversation, but sat silently on the floor as mixed feelings ran through their head.

"I won't permit any of you to get hurt under my watch, and if the worst case scenario happens and I don't return, I would appreciate it if I knew my children would be well taken care of," he said, "Please, Ash, stay here with them. I don't want to lose you or my children."

He stepped away from Ash and approached Tana, nodding at her as he showed her Slaking's Pokeball in his hand. The two talked privately together, as Ash and Pikachu watched from afar.

"Pikachu, what should I do?" Ash asked, uncertainly.

"Pikachu, pika, chuu," Pikachu shook its head, it didn't know what to think.

_Brock's there too, _Ash thought, as he walked over to the siblings and Gardevoir, _Brock. _

That's where the conversation went. Presently, May had calmed down and was sipping her hot cup of coffee. Ash was standing next to her with his arm leaning against the arm chair. Norman and Tana had went into another room in the Gym to discuss their plan, away from the kids so they wouldn't overhear what they were going to do.

Combusken made a full recovery, and was currently relaxing and eating Pokemon food out of its dish. It took the little chunks of brown food with its claws and slowly brought it to its mouth.

"Chew slowly, Combusken," May said passionately, "I want you to take it easy."

"Combusken," the Pokemon nodded, smiling at its trainer.

Max held Skitty in his hands, petting its soft pink fur as it watched Combusken eat its food to regain its strength.

"Combusken sure likes that food," Max said.

"It should, it was…Brock's recipe that he made specifically for Combusken," Ash said.

"Pikachu, cha," Pikachu sighed.

"Brock always did make good recipes for all our Pokemon, he was perfect with tailoring the flavor to their specific tastes," Max noted.

"Yeah," May said, lowering the coffee and placing it in her lap, "Brock's done so much for us and our Pokemon, such a great person doesn't deserve to have such a tragic ending."

"May," Ash motioned.

"But then again, neither did Mom," she sulked.

The room went silent, as the three kids watched Combusken eating its meal, annoyed and frustrated that Norman and Tana excluded them from saving their loved ones. It was hard to be left out of such an important situation, almost as painful as wondering what Caroline and Brock were enduring right now as well.

~**~*~

Ross paced the floors nervously, he had his hands behind his back as he walked from wall to wall in the small damp room. His eyes twitched as his feet stomped the pavement, he was enraged and frustrated that he was caught off guard by a Shadow Ball attack in the alley.

Caroline was in the room as well, the poor mother had one arm chained to the pillar to prevent her escape. She was sitting on a plain mattress on the floor, without any apparel covering her body, in her sorrow. The mattress she was sitting on was stained with blood, mostly her own.

Her body had bruises and various burnt marks, as well as some cracked skin that was desperately trying to heal after Ross toyed with her with his blades. Despite all the pain and abuse she had to endure, the strong woman made sure never to show a sign of weakness. She never cried, or moped, or begged him to stop. She maintained her strong vigor and promised herself that she would be reunited with her children. She couldn't show any weakness, not to Ross, she wouldn't allow him to have that satisfaction.

One thing she did regret however, was how stupid the idea was to let Sableye out of its Pokeball to help her get free. The Pokemon was awfully loyal to Ross, she should have known better. The only thing that managed to get her was Sableye's jagged teeth sinking into her skin painfully, causing her to scream. This alerted the woman in the room adjacent to her own, who immediately called Sableye off and smacked Caroline to the ground. She then removed the taser off of Ross' body and helped him recover. Despite striking the mother and helping Ross, the woman did hand the mother a towel to tie around her leg that Sableye sunk its teeth into. This contained the bleeding and stopped the wound from spreading, but they were already pretty deep cuts. Caroline wanted to cry, but she held in her tears as she sat against the pillar as the pain from her leg consumed her. She was in a moment of pure hopelessness, as her captive was recovering from her attack and Sableye stared at her maliciously. As much as the pain from her leg hurt, that was only a taste of what she had to endure when Ross decided to get his revenge for knocking him out.

At the present time, Ross was getting careless and frustrated. He failed when he tried to take down May, and apparently she had some strong friends willing to back her up. He was angrily pacing the floors as he tried to formulate a plan to get back at Norman's daughter. Being taken down by a 38 year old Gym leader was one thing, being taken down by his young teenage daughter was another. This frustrated him greatly, because he wanted to inflict as much emotional pain on Norman as possible. If he had managed to kidnap his daughter in addition to his wife, his sadistic pleasure of watching Norman in despair would be complete.

Caroline lifted her head up as she noticed Ross starting to punch holes through his walls. He didn't literally punch through the walls of course, but he did manage to leave some pretty big dents.

"What's the matter, did you get a parking ticket on your car today?" Caroline asked sarcastically.

"SHUT UP!" Ross retorted, turning toward her as she sat on the mattress, "Don't you dare mock me!"

"Never mind then, I just thought you looked emotionally distressed," Caroline said.

"Haha, you're a riot. That girl is coming for me, and I know it," Ross said, angrily, "She's going to try and track me down again."

"…May?" Caroline asked, meekly.

"No, not your stupid daughter. She wouldn't know how to find this place if she tried. I'm talking about the woman who most likely interfered back at the alley, Jamie's friend, that Tana girl," Ross said.

"Oh, you mean your sickening loyal girlfriend has a friend of her own who hates your guts?" Caroline laughed, "Well, that's amusing."

"If you don't shut up, I won't hesitate to use the larger blades this time," Ross warned.

"I'll be quiet, but you do know I have to eat, right?" Caroline asked, trying to keep him occupied, "I haven't eaten anything since last night, I'm starving."

"I think you've really cracked, why should I give a damn about you? I'll let you rot on that mattress for the next month if I have to," he said.

"If I end up collapsing, you'll have nothing to occupy your time with when you get bored," she said, "But I'm sure you have better things to do than torture a fully grown woman and do unmentionable things to her body, right? I mean hey, don't you have that Masters degree you're working on? I hear a therapist is a well paying job these days, you would be interested in a job that deals with the sadistic and insane."

Ross furiously marched over to Caroline and swiftly slapped her across her face. The woman fell to the mattress upon impact and slowly rubbed her left cheek which was pounding from the pain.

"I told you to shut up!" Ross yelled.

"Did I say something wrong?" Caroline snickered.

"You dumb bitch, maybe next time I'll just use my knife to cut off your tongue, let's see how you talk after that, huh?" Ross yelled.

Caroline turned away and kept silent.

"That's better." he smirked. He walked away from the mattress and back toward the table he was marching in front of. Tana was still on his mind, and he knew that unlike Norman's family, that girl was a real threat.

"I better find out a way to get rid of my problems," Ross said, pondering as he exited the room, leaving Caroline alone in her despair, once again.

~**~

The evening crept upon Norman's family quickly, as everyone in the house was anxious and unnerved about the upcoming do-or-die situation. Tana waited on the porch of the Petalburg Gym, while Norman stood in the open doorway to say goodbye to his family before he went off to rescue their loved ones.

Ash, Pikachu, May and Max stood side by side, hoping that when Norman and Tana returned, they would return with two extra people. The anxiety was getting to them, as May and Max became emotional while Norman bid them farewell.

"Ash, you already know what I expect you to do. Please, look after May and Max for me," Norman said.

"I…I will," Ash said, nodding, "I know you'll succeed too, and I'll be ready if you need me. Caroline and Brock will be home safely, I know it."

"Pikachu, pika, pika!" Pikachu cooed.

"You watch after them too, Pikachu," Norman said, smiling as he patted Pikachu's head.

"Chaaaaa," Pikachu cooed.

Norman turned to his daughter, who was trying to hold back her tears as she gazed upon her father. She held her arms behind her back as she sniffled emotionally.

"May, you know you've made me proud, if I don't return, I want you to continue living your life to its fullest," Norman said.

"Dad, I'm sorry," May whined, wiping her eyes, "I'm sorry for yelling at you before, and for all the arguing. I know you want me to be safe, but I can't help but feel I lashed out on you for no reason."

"Nah, you did have a reason." Norman winked at her. "You've been so strong throughout all of this, and so brave, you remind me of your mother when she was younger."

May walked forward and wrapped her arms around her father's torso, and rested her head against his chest. Norman rubbed her back compassionately as she sniveled.

"Don't die, Dad," May whispered, "I still need my parents around. I…I still want a loving mother and father, I want us all to be reunited shortly."

"We will, if there is any God in the universe, we will," Norman promised.

May moved apart from her father, she looked up at him in the eyes and nodded. She stepped back into the doorway as Norman approached his son, Max.

"Dad," Max said, quietly.

Norman kneeled down in front of his son so they could be face to face.

"Yes, Max?"

"Good luck," Max said while rubbing his right eye tearfully, "Bring Mom home…and Brock too."

Norman nodded as the two shared a hug similar to the hug with his daughter just moments before.

"We should get going," Tana called out, walking down toward the street.

Norman got up and took one last look at the children standing in the doorway. Throughout all the pain, they managed to put on optimistic demeanors as the trio waved while smiling. He knew for their sake, that he had to succeed. He couldn't let his family be ruined by such a tragic ending, he promised himself that he would restore his family to what it once was, no matter the costs.

He waved one last time to his family, and then walked off with Tana into the unknown. With only Gardevoir and Slaking in their arsenal, he knew they might be in for a tough fight. He felt his heart beating rapidly and the tension in his body rising, as he was thinking about what he might do to Ross when he finds him. This wasn't just a simple Gym battle with Pokemon anymore, this was a matter of life or death. Ross had crossed the line, and Norman wasn't sure if he would be able to restrain himself from physically beating the man to death for what he had done. It was a difficult decision, but Norman had to struggle with his conscience and what was right and wrong, as well as determine what Ross' ultimate fate would be.

~*~*~*~~*

"Want me to make you another sandwich, Max?" May asked.

She finished spreading some peanut butter over her bread, and placed it with the jelly to make some dinner. She took the knife out carefully and tossed it in the sink, while she glanced back at her brother to make sure he was alright.

"I'm ok," Max said, "One sandwich was enough for me."

Max lowered his head and rested it on his arms at the dinner table. The boy looked sleepy, yet there were too many things on his mind to relax.

"Pikachu, did you check where Skitty and Beautifly are?" Ash asked, sitting himself down at the table.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.

"They're probably sleeping in my Mom's bedroom, they love that place," May said, sitting down next to Ash at the table.

She took a deep breath before eating, staring down at her peanut butter and jelly sandwich which lie before her.

"I…don't know how we're going to sleep tonight," May said quietly.

"You'll be worrying about your Dad, I'm sure," Ash said, "Too bad they didn't even leave us a way to contact them before they set off, I guess they really did not want us tagging along."

"They'll…they'll be using Gardevoir to try and find Ross, that could take them all night," Max noted, "I'm pretty sure Gardevoir's psychic ability works like a radar or something, so they should know whether they're on the right trail or not. Hey, May?"

"Yeah?" May replied.

"Didn't Tana say that once Gardevoir came into close contact with a person, she'll be able to find him easier? How close did Gardevoir come into contact with Ross when you were back in the alley?" Max asked.

"Um, not sure, it all happened pretty fast," May said. She picked up her sandwich and took a small bite before continuing. "I…I only remember Gardevoir firing a Shadow Ball at Ross, but I don't think they actually touched one another. It's too bad, because yeah, Gardevoir would probably be able to find him easier if she did come into contact with him."

"Man, that's a bummer," Max sulked.

"Yeah, they could be spending hours just searching for Ross alone," Ash said, "And then when they actually find the place he's staying at, it'll probably take them longer to sneak their way in and find out where your mother and Brock is."

"They could be gone all night then, and even until early next morning. As I said, it's going to be hard going to sleep tonight knowing everything that's going on," May said as she sighed.

"There's nothing we could do then but wait," Ash sulked, "I'm not a waiting person, it's going to be hard for me too."

May continued eating her sandwich as Max picked his head up from his arms. He stretched out his arms and yawned.

"There is a good thing about Dad and Tana tracking Ross down at night," Max said, "He'd probably be sleeping by the time they find him, and they could launch a surprise attack. It is much easier to break into someone's house and take them by surprise at night than it is in the daytime."

"Jeez, Max, you sound like a burglar," May said, smirking.

"Heh, well it's true. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out," Max replied, smiling a bit.

May leaned forward and stared at her little brother positively.

"Th-thanks for making me smile, Max," she said, "We all need to be optimistic at a time like this."

"I know, sis, which is why we should occupy our time with something other than sitting at the dinner table together all night," Max mused.

Ash turned to May and put his hand on her shoulder. He wasn't sure whether it would be better to comfort her or leave her be, as it would be a long, troubling night while waiting for news about her parents. As awkward as it was, he just needed to know from May herself. She was the one who confronted Ross and had more experience with the man than he did, so he knew she would also have this extra angle of knowing the extent of Ross' cruelty. Frying her Combusken before her eyes and throwing knives just inches from her face had to take its toll.

"So, do you want to say anything?" Ash asked.

May smiled as she turned toward him, although she didn't know exactly what to say. She glanced at her brother across the table, who was watching them curiously. May and Ash shared a moment staring at each other, and Max continued to take notice.

"I want Max to sleep with us in our room tonight, Ash," May said, "It's not right to leave him all alone in his room at a time like this, I want my brother with us all in one place. I'll probably bring Skitty and Beautifly in with us as well, as I want everyone in this house to be together for the night. I…I don't want anyone else to go missing."

"Sure, I think all of us together would help relieve the tension…just a little bit," Ash said, smirking. "What do you think, Max?"

Max was peering off into space as he stared at them.

"Uh, Max?" May asked, "Did you hear what I said? You don't have to sleep by yourself tonight, I want to keep watch over you until our parents return."

Max snapped back into reality as he nodded nervously. "Yeah, ok, ok, I…would like some company as I sleep tonight. I'd be kinda worried by myself," Max said.

"That's exactly my point, I don't want you to worry. At least you know you have your sister and Ash to look after you," May said, smiling.

"Heh, I'm not sure if this is the right time for this," Max said, raising his glasses, "But…you two aren't going to be doing anything while I'm in the room, right?"

Ash looked at him confused. "What in the world do you mean by that?" Ash asked.

"You know, holding hands or any mushy stuff like that," Max said.

"Wha? Max are you insane? Where are you getting this from?" May asked, flustered.

She looked down and noticed that her pinky finger and Ash's were intertwined under the table for comfort, so she quickly moved her hand away. Was that what Max noticed?

"Max, it's ok, I still don't get what you mean, but Ash and I will be comfortable with you there, you know that," May said, her voice raising a tad.

"I hate to ask this question, but I must," Max said, eyeing his confused sister.

Ash and May looked at each other, they were still pretty confused as to what Max was getting at.

"Did…did you…" Max said, coughing into his shoulder, "EH, this is kind of embarrassing to even think about."

May noticed the blush appearing on Max's face, and finally figured out what he was going to say. She cleared her throat as she waited for it, it seemed like the cat was out of the bag.

"…did…did you and Ash _kiss?_" Max asked suddenly, trailing off at the last word.

"Pika?" Pikachu said, glancing up at May and Ash.

Ash raised his eyebrows as his face went red, it was a complete shock to hear Max even ask such a question. He quickly got up from the table and tried to hide his eyes under the brim of his hat.

May looked up at Ash as he nervously tried to hide his embarrassment. She too was astounded, not only because Max asked that question, but because he insinuated it as if he knew, as if it were common knowledge and he only wanted confirmation. The difference was that since he was her brother, May was more prepared for the question than Ash was, although that wasn't really saying much either.

"Y-you…I m-ean, who told you that?" May stammered.

"Nobody," Max gasped, "I just…want to know."

"M-ax, why w-ould you want to know such a thing? What made you think of that in the first place?" Ash asked, trying to clear his throat so the words would come out clearly.

"I'll tell you, but first I…kinda want to know. Did y-ou guys actually kiss?" Max asked, more direct this time.

May and Ash hesitated, neither one wanted to confirm it. They both knew what the other was feeling at the moment, a sense of complete shock and embarrassment. After all this time, May and Ash had kept their feelings and contact with each other a secret from Max and everyone else, it was almost unthinkable to finally let it out in the open. Could they really say that not only had they kissed once before, but they actually did it several times after that as well? That they actually have real romantic feelings for each other, and the dreaded "L" word was in fact, true? It was also May's little brother, the boy who traveled with them from almost day one. To actually tell him the truth would be something that required far more bravery than either Ash or May could muster at the moment.

Moments passed, and neither said a word.

"If…if you're not going to say anything, I guess you don't have to," Max said, "Your embarrassed reactions and your blushing already lets me know that it happened, as disturbing as it is to try and picture it."

"MAX!" May finally yelled.

"Your faces are a dead give-away!" Max retorted, "There's no way you two would blow up so much if I didn't strike a nerve!"

"OK, that's it, since you seem happy with your answer than that's as far as we'll go!" May said nervously, getting up from the table.

"So it really _did _happen, I guess everything was too obvious for it not to have then," Max said.

May turned around and pulled on her hair nervously, he apparently figured this out all on his own.

"H-how did you…how did you figure this out?" May asked, her voice cracking between words.

"Wasn't it obvious? You guys sure did a bad job at trying to hide it," Max said, "I noticed it when we were back on the beach. I mean c'mon, you and Ash running down to the water to practice surfing together every chance you had, even if you already practiced on the same course a dozen or so times before?"

"That was for the race!" Ash blurted out, "Why do you think we managed to come in 2nd? It was because of all the hard work we did while we practiced!"

"Yeah and? I could see the way you two were acting together on the surfboard, you really _did _like to hold each other around, despite denying it!" Max exclaimed, "Not only that, but c'mon! My sister sleeping with you as an infant in her arms? The amount of time she spent by your side in the Pokemon Center when you hurt your head? Mysteriously walking out of the same bathroom together? You going out of your way to spend so much money on the Skitty/Torchic bikini just to make May happy? My sister saying you have a nice butt? Going out for nightly walks on Atona's boardwalk by yourselves? Spending time relaxing together outside of Latrommi's lab when you should have been working to pay off our debt? Making sure you sleep in the same bedroom together when we got home in Petalburg? My sister buying you the new hat with the Pikachu silhouette, and discarding your old hat from your Mom as if it was nothing compared to the one my sister bought you? The increased amount of time you two spend in physical contact now and being comfortable with one another? I just caught you two holding pinky fingers together under the table for goodness sakes! I could go on and on, but its just become so noticeable! Even Mom thought you two were being much more comfortable and flirty with each other than she remembered you being! Mom even thought you two slept in the same sleeping bag together last night, but I assured her you guys wouldn't do anything like _that!" _

Ash and May gulped. Pikachu was speechless.

"Did you guys think I was stupid or something, like I wouldn't figure it out?" Max asked, "I kind of wondered after all this time if you kissed each other, and judging how you reacted just before, I'm gonna say it's true."

May chortled as she shook her head and hid her face in her hand. "Gee, you're one smart little brother," she said, "I…I don't know how you pieced all of that together…you're so observant!"

"May!" Ash gasped.

"I – I don't know what I could say now," she responded, "My brother…knows we like each other."

"Yeah…but…"

"Pika, pika? Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, looking up at a startled Ash.

May knew Ash was far more uneasy about this than she was. It was somewhat odd, since Max was her brother and not his, thus it would probably be more embarrassing for her, but this was not the case.

"Hey, Ash, did you really like kissing my sister?" Max asked, grinning. "She looks pretty icky to me, I can barely tolerate it when she kisses me on my head! Kissing her on the lips has got to be far worse, it's pretty gross."

"W-hat? Stop asking me such things!" Ash said, flustered.

"Max, what did we say about keeping your mouth shut before you get into trouble?" May asked, agitated, "Remember, Mom and Dad aren't here, that means you're going to have to answer to _us." _

"Sure, I'm just curious as to what Ash thinks about it," Max said nonchalantly.

"I'm not going to say anything about _that!" _Ash shouted, "Pikachu, c'mon, lets go do some training on the Gym battlefield…like NOW!"

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Ash quickly ran out of the room as Pikachu darted after him. The boy almost knocked over a chair on his way out, Pikachu chortled while following behind him.

As the room was quiet with only brother and sister occupying it, May finally found herself calm enough to ask Max another question.

"Mom and Dad, did you tell them any of this?" May asked.

"Hm, um, not really. Not all of it anyway, besides saying all the general stuff we did between first meeting Professor Latrommi and now," Max said, "I…I think Mom knows you have a thing for Ash though, at least from what I can tell."

May giggled and shook her head.

"Guess it was a silly thing to try to keep this hidden after all, it must have been pretty obvious," May said, amused of it all.

"I have to ask though, you two aren't going to be smooching all the time now, right? I don't think I can stomach watching that everyday," Max sulked.

"What? NO! I mean, well, probably not often…or…uh…not in front of YOU anyway!" May said, embarrassed.

She put her arms behind her head and smiled dubiously.

"That's good news, I can barely stomach the thought myself, I hope I never have to actually SEE it," Max said, winking.

"Eheh, so I see, Max. You don't have to repeat yourself like a brat," May said, "I will say though, things…um _will _be different between me and Ash now, so it'll probably take time adjusting to. I'm, I'm not sure if it'll be noticeable or not, but…we…may end up showing affection for each other a lot more often."

"Really?" Max asked, somewhat displeased.

"Don't worry, Max, I'm not going to go overboard," May teased, fidgeting with her hands, "I…I do consider Ash to be…"

"Yeah?"

May blushed and turned around, walking with her arms still behind her head.

"…I do consider him as my…boyfriend now. Um…really."

Max rolled his eyes.

"And…I'm…his girlfriend," May said, chuckling, "Heh, it feels so odd to say that. Considering he's my first…boyfriend ever, it's quite a lot to take in. At…at least I've known him for so long beforehand, so we know each other's personalities inside and out. I...just want to make the best of things, for the both of us."

"Um, ok," Max replied, unsure of what to say.

"We'll all travel together, Max, you too, just like we always do. Nothing has changed between you and Ash, he's still your best friend and someone to look up to. Please don't forget that," she said.

"I know, Ash is my role model next to Dad, but still, its weird now," Max said.

"You'll have time to get used to it, we all will," May said. She changed her tone a bit as she looked more solemn. "Right now though, we should be praying for Mom and Dad. They need to make it home safely, along with Tana and Brock. They're who we should be putting our hope and thoughts into at the moment."

May motioned for Max to follow her, and the two walked side by side out of the kitchen.

"Its been a couple of hours, how do you think Dad and Tana are doing?" Max asked.

"I don't know," May sighed, "But…look on the bright side, Max. For all we know, Dad and Tana could have rescued Mom and Brock by now, and are heading their way home as we speak!"

"You really think so? That this whole nightmare could be over with already?" Max asked, eagerly.

May hesitated, it _was _a nightmare.

"I…I hope Mom is ok when we see her again, I hope Ross didn't do anything really bad to her," Max said timidly.

May hesitated again, her brother didn't know the full extent as to what was happening to Caroline as she did. Ross told her that he _raped _her, and this was something she couldn't let her brother know, ever. This was not even something she could fully comprehend herself, and she was regretful that those awful lines that Ross said were refreshed in her memory.

Max noticed she was silent.

"May?" Max asked.

May shook her head, she had to remain optimistic. She couldn't dwell on the thought any longer, and tried to push it out of her head.

"We – we have some time to kill now, um…want to watch Ash train with Pikachu?" May asked, quietly.

"Won't that be embarrassing? I mean, do you think Ash is still embarrassed?" Max asked.

She cracked a smile, thinking about Ash at the moment was far more alluring than anything else. Most of all, it made her feel happy, and that's what she needed to feel the most.

"Heehee, I'm pretty sure he still is. That's why I want to see if he suddenly has a heart attack or something when he sees the two of us walk onto the Gym battlefield," May said, snickering.

"Want to sneak up on him from behind, then? We can both scare him out of his mind!" Max suggested eagerly.

She laughed. Yes, _family _was what was most important. Family and loved ones, it's what made her happy. It was what made both of them happy.

"I like that idea, maybe we can jumpstart Ash out of his nervousness!" she squealed.

"You don't mind me scaring your boooooyfriend?" Max teased.

"Max, you start talking like that and making jokes and I will so slap you across your face without hesitation," May said angrily.

"OK, OK! I'm sorry! I won't make any boyfriend jokes!" Max gasped.

"Better not, you know I'll never be in the mood for that crap," May said, "Now c'mon, let's go startle Ash!"

"OK!" Max nodded.

The two siblings ran off together to give an unsuspecting Ash a huge surprise. They were all still children after all, and they needed to maintain their innocence and playful characteristics rather than get involved in horrifying adult affairs. May had faith in her father, and with a little bit of luck, she hoped to have her complete family back together soon.

And so as time passed at the Petalburg Gym, she waited for her family to return.

And she waited. And she waited…

…but for how long?


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

He was in heaven. It was nothing short of a picture perfect scenario, everything the young man ever wanted was in the palm of his hand. He had sometimes questioned why it managed to fall so easily into his lap, but it was at the point where he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. All that mattered was he was happy, he had finally progressed beyond the point of rejection and desperation for female companionship.

_If only she could see me now, _he thought, blissfully gazing at the night sky after a fun filled evening. _I wonder if she would be a bit envious, she always did have nothing but unrequited love herself. I'm sure she would be happy for me, she likes it when her friends are happy. _

He picked up his beer from the porch and gulped down another mouthful. He lowered the bottle and wiped his mouth, he apparently drank too much in one sitting since he was feeling a little out of it. It was his first time getting drunk, although he wasn't quite aware of it yet. He burped loudly and muttered to himself, yet he was still self-aware and not completely lost under the influence of beer.

He stretched out his legs and put his arms behind his head while he waited for his girlfriend to return. She was beautiful and kind-hearted, there was no other way to describe her. He was grateful to have a woman like her by his side, one who kept up a mystery appeal while also promising to spend her life with him. He thought about all the single men out there who were struggling to get a girl like he used to do, and although at one point he considered it a lost cause, he now realized that most of them would find someone sooner or later. If he could find a wonderful young woman, then they all could too. All the girls he flirted with were ones he was attracted to, but they were never keepers. They were just another pretty face, and even though he tried to express how he wanted a relationship, he would be met by blank stares more often than not. He needed someone to return that affection, someone who really meant it, and he was content when he finally found someone who would do just that.

_It was probably for the best when she did that all those times, even though my ear still pounds when thinking about it, _he thought, _She kept me on track and didn't let me just throw my heart out for any random girl, I have to respect her for that. I would have never met my girlfriend if my friend didn't keep putting me in my place, I'll have to thank her personally next time I see her. _

Despite having the love of his life, there was still one thing he missed; his friends. He had only split apart from them recently, but he was already missing their cheerful, optimistic quips and delightful characteristics. The three of them never ceased to amuse him, always full with energy and vigor. He kept them in line and made sure they were well fed, any older companion would have done so accordingly. Yet now they were traveling by themselves, without his older wisdom or guidance.

He sighed as he lowered his beer, wondering what his former companions were up to at the moment. For some reason, he felt like an essential part of his character was gone. This was the second time now he was apart from his younger companions, and he felt that there was something missing because of it. Being the oldest son in a family of ten, he had been watching over younger kids all his life. Whether it was his own younger brothers and sisters, or Ash and his friends, it was the same impact. He _knew _they needed him. He was the essential big brother to both his family and Ash's group, and he already missed what it was like to hear their naïve and innocent questions or ask for reassurance about some pressing issue.

He snickered and asked himself why he was getting so worked up over it. He knew from day one that he wouldn't be traveling with his best friend Ash forever, and that he was going to settle down with some woman and part ways with him eventually. Now that he was finally at that segment of his life, it just felt awkward. With Ash, May and Max traveling separate from him, he could no longer keep a watchful eye over them and keep them on the right path. If they needed help, they would no longer have an older brother type person to turn to. He only hoped that they were getting along fine without him, for it was now Ash alone who was the oldest one in the group.

His mind then shifted to thoughts about how he watched Ash grow up before his eyes. He started off as a naïve, energetic and stubborn trainer, filled with immaturity and reckless behavior. He chuckled as he realized that nowadays he still acts more or less the same way, although not nearly as clueless toward things as he once was. It was a moving part of his life to see Ash grow and win so many Gym badges and compete in so many competitions, it was almost as if Ash were a younger brother of his own. He wished him the best now that they were separated, and hoped that the sibling duo of May and Max would continue to grow and prosper without him as well.

His girlfriend called for him.

He turned around in his seat and called back into the house, asking her to join him on the porch. She declined, asking him to come inside the house. There was apparently something important she had to ask him.

He was confused, but got up from his chair and walked inside the house. He had been with this girl and her friend for nearly a week now, and he had never heard her ask something in such a serious manner. He made his way through the dimly-lit living room to follow his girlfriend's voice as she called for him.

He squinted as he looked around the room until he spotted her. She was lying on the couch in sexy black lingerie and a glass of martini in her hand. Her long red hair draped down her shoulders as she smiled happily at her boyfriend.

His jaw gaped. He still couldn't believe this woman was really his, and not some fantasy conjured up by his imagination. He barely got the words out, but he asked where Jamie was. The woman, Tana, sulked and said it wasn't important. He asked her if she was sure, and she nodded.

"Jamie is seeing an old friend," Tana said, "I…don't know when she'll get back. In the meantime we have the house to ourselves. I…was thinking about dinner and a movie?"

She pressed the button on the remote and an old black and white comedy was on. She eyed her boyfriend and asked him if he wanted a sip of her drink, but he shook his head as he didn't want to get drunk, or rather, drink himself into a stupor.

He walked toward the couch and sat beside her, putting his arm around her back and holding her close. To him, holding his girlfriend as she wore sexy lingerie and watching a movie together was the ending to a perfect night. To her, it was a moment of close affection, as well as to make good use of the time until Jamie came back. She bit her lower lip, as there was another hidden motive at hand. She needed to get as comfortable with him as possible in order to let him know one of the deep and problematic secrets that she had kept under wraps. It was something very important, something she could only trust him to do for her if they found themselves truly in love. It was also something shocking.

She needed someone to kill Jamie's ex-boyfriend.

It was as simple as that, she needed that man dead. She needed his horrible iron grip on Jamie's throat to be loosened, so she could be free to live her life as she saw fit, rather than live in fear under the commands and blackmail of _that _man. There was no way she would let her best friend be betrayed by the same man in such a horrible way twice, even if her friend was oblivious to his selfish and malicious desires.

Tana brushed her lips on Brock's face as they snuggled closely. What Brock didn't realize however, was that Tana had a loaded handgun underneath the couch they were sitting on. It had been resting there for awhile, Tana procrastinating whether or not she could let Brock in on what was going on. Perhaps if he got drunk, he'd be more inclined to help her save her friend from eternal tournament. She needed to save Jamie from Ross; the devil.

For what he did, he needed to _die. _

And Tana wanted Brock to pull the trigger.

**Present… **

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu leapt into the air and powered up the electricity stored in its electric cheeks. Eevee stood readily on the other side of the battlefield, prepared to dodge the electric onslaught at the last minute.

"Pikachu!" the Pokemon shouted.

"Eevee, use Dig and escape underground!" May ordered.

Eevee burrowed a hole in the ground and quickly leaped inside. The electricity made contact with the Gym battlefield, but the electric shots were erratic and didn't strike its mark.

"You tend to use Dig a lot, you're going to let your opponent figure out your strategy and come up with an alternate way to beat you," Ash said.

Pikachu landed on the ground as May put her hand on her hip and smiled.

"You tend to use Thunderbolt a lot too, but that doesn't bother you now, does it?" May asked, "Eevee, come out and strike Pikachu with a Shadow Ball!"

The ground behind Pikachu began to explode, as the small, cute and agile Eevee powered up a purple ball of energy in its mouth. The energy attack was almost upon the electric type before Ash ordered a command.

"Pikachu, strike it with Iron tail!" Ash yelled.

"Pika!" it shrieked, as it leaped to the side and powered up its tail.

Eevee's Shadow Ball was only half formed when Pikachu moved in for the intense physical attack. Its tail glowed white as it spun itself around and fiercely struck Eevee on the side of the head. The cute Pokemon grunted in pain as it fell backward on the ground. May gasped when she saw her Eevee down for the count, but was relieved when it got up on all fours again.

"Phew, you ok to keep going, Eevee?" May asked, after a pant.

"Eeevee!" the Pokemon cooed.

Ash smiled and pulled on the brim of his new hat. "I told you that you were being too predictable. Using the same attack so many times will let your opponent figure out just what you're going," Ash said slyly.

"Maybe so, but if I can get Eevee to burrow under ground and pop up quickly enough, you wouldn't be able to react in time," May said.

"Your father did something similar to that with Vigoroth during our battle last time, always digging underground and coming up to strike is a neat strategy, but it's pretty predictable at this point. Are you trying to imitate what your Dad did when he battled me?" he asked.

"My Dad is an excellent battler, it would pay off a lot in my battles if I tried to practice his techniques while putting my own unique spin on it at the same time," May said.

"Unique spin? Like what?" he asked, amused.

"You'll see," May said, winking.

Eevee leaped toward Pikachu in what looked like to be a Tackle attack, but the Pokemon instead fired a Shadow Ball attack in the distance. The ball wasn't aimed at Pikachu, which confused both it and its trainer, but instead went down the hole that Eevee dug out of.

"Eevee, go underground, NOW!" May commanded.

"Eeeeeeveee!"

Ash was getting anxious as Eevee disappeared beneath the ground again. He instructed Pikachu to use its ears and rely on its sense of hearing instead of sight to figure out where Eevee would pop up next.

"Piiiika!" Pikachu cried.

"That's it, strike it there!" Ash yelled, "Sorry, May, but you can't keep doing the same thing so many times!"

"Who said I was going the same thing?" May asked, "Come out, Eevee!"

Pikachu fired its Thunderbolt attack when the ground split apart in front of him. Much to its surprise, Eevee didn't pop up out of the hole, but its previous Shadow Ball attack came out instead! The electricity collided with the sphere of energy which caused the ball to explode, sending a massive shockwave which propelled Pikachu backwards into the wall.

"Pikachu!" Ash gasped.

Pikachu warily got itself back up and darted back onto the Gym battlefield. Eevee now appeared before it, with a competitive gaze in its eyes.

"How…how did you get that Shadow Ball to come out of the ground instead of Eevee?" Ash asked, confused.

"Simple, I had Eevee purposely send the Shadow Ball underground and leave it there until I needed it. As long as the ball didn't strike the underground tunnels it wouldn't collide, thus I had an extra attack handy to surprise you with. Heh, don't you get it, Ash?" May asked, chortling, "I have both Eevee AND its attacks going underground. You mistook the Shadow Ball for Eevee, and when Pikachu used its electric attacks on the ball it exploded, delivering it quite a lot of damage."

"Hm, so you're not doing the same thing and being predictable then, are ya?" he asked.

"Of course not, silly. If this were a Contest battle, you would probably lose all your points for making such a mistake," May squealed.

"Yeah, but since this is a regular battle instead, Pikachu is still ready for another round," Ash said, snickering, "That trick won't work on me twice, so I sure hope you have something else up your sleeve."

"Heh, I didn't think about that," May said squeamishly, "I was kinda counting on that explosion to KO Pikachu, I wasn't expecting to still be in battle."

She clasped her hands in front of her and told Eevee to keep its distance, rather than go into physical attacks.

"Pretty good, May, I gotta say, I love battling with you!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well remember what we said back at Atona beach? It was either dating in some fancy restaurant, or having Pokemon battles as our dates instead. I think this was the better choice," May said, grinning.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, "Yeah, I find this much easier to do, May, thanks! At least we won't have to waste our time with any boring dates."

Pikachu's electric attack missed as Eevee jumped in the air.

May sighed, "Boring dates? C'mon, Ash, I know you're still not used to this whole dating thing, but it would be nice just for the two of us to go out together _sometime," _she said, "Eevee, deflect it with a Shadow Ball!"

The dark ball of energy was fired at the electricity, both attacks were pressing against one another, neither giving in an inch to the opposing side. The light from the attacks lit up the whole room in a dazzling display of color.

"As long as it's that all-you-can-eat-buffet you mentioned once, I'll take that," he said, "Still, I feel really awkward about this again since your brother somehow found out we like each other."

The attack exploded upon collision, striking up a massive dust cloud in the air. When the fog faded, neither Pokemon were seen on the battlefield. Apparently they both took refuge underground, Eevee digging itself a new hole, while Pikachu jumped into one of Eevee's previous tunnels.

"Max is a smart kid, it was no surprise that he found it out. I was expecting him to sooner or later, it was not like we could keep it a secret forever," she said, flicking her hair, "Besides, why feel awkward? You and Max are extremely close, I'm sure you two can deal with it."

"Deal with it? So when I'm talking to Max at the breakfast table, what am I supposed to say? That I like kissing his sister?"

"Eevee, launch another Shadow Ball underground!" she shouted, "No, you talk to him like you always do, Ash!"

"Pikachu, leap above ground, we're not going to get hurt by the same attack again!" Ash shouted, "May, are you sure about that?"

Pikachu somersaulted into the air when it noticed the tint of purple energy in the subterranean tunnels underneath the Gym. Eevee was apparently biding its time, as it knew Pikachu couldn't go on the offensive as long as it feared that it might be blown away if it strikes the Shadow ball attack again.

"Sure I'm sure, Ash. There's nothing to be awkward about, honestly. I mean, you felt a bit awkward and uneasy when we kissed the first time too, remember? And since then you're gradually warmed up to it, and now you kiss me without even a hint of uneasiness," she said.

Ash blushed, and waved his hands sheepishly. "I…I…it doesn't feel as strange anymore?"

"Eevee, forget the Shadow Ball, go in for a Tackle!" May commanded.

Eevee darted toward Pikachu at high speed.

"Um…Pikachu, use Agility to outrun it!" Ash quickly called out, somewhat uncertain amiss all the confusion.

The two Pokemon ran in circles with one another, occasionally striking each other at the same time with tackle attacks.  
"That's my point, Ash, if we kiss so comfortably now despite the awkward start, then I'm sure you'll be able to adapt to Max knowing that we well…have feelings for each other. It is hard to take in first, I know, I felt the same thing when my brother first announced that. But you know, you get used to it?" May grinned as she shrugged.

"I guess you're right, it's the same thing after all. I just hope Max doesn't start to bug us about it, though. It's not like we kiss all the time, anyway!" Ash retorted.

Pikachu scored a direct hit with Thunderbolt, only followed by Eevee striking a hit on its side with a Tackle attack.

"Hm, you're right about the last part, but this battle has really got me pumped!" May said, "Um, would you mind if I…?"

She sheepishly held her hands behind her back as she walked out of her battling square and across the side of the battlefield toward Ash. He knew what she going to do, and walked away from the battle and toward her as well. When they met up a few feet from one another, they smiled and exchanged a brief hug.

"Ash, wanna practice some more? You've gotten the kissing part right for the most part, but you still don't tilt your head a bit. It makes it easier to lock lips when your slant your mouth slightly," she said, her mouth opening a tad as she held him.

"These are a lot of rules, I can't learn them all so quickly," he responded, "It does make for some interesting practice though!"

"Yeah, just think of this as another battle. The battle of who is the better kisser!" May giggled.

Ash and May moved in closely as their mouths locked with one another, moving slowly and passionately as they were adapting to the tone of the others movements. They held each other closely as they tried the best they could to return each others kisses, both enjoying the exchange quite a bit.

On the battlefield, Pikachu and Eevee looked at them dumbfounded. They were in the middle of a battle, and all of a sudden their trainers walk off the battlefield to share an intimate moment!

"Pikachu, Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"Eevee, Vree!" Eevee replied.

Both Pokemon rolled their eyes as they nonchalantly walked off the battlefield and scurried their way to play tag with one another. On the battlefield, they were fierce competitors ready to inflict as much pain on each other as possible, but off the battlefield, they were best friends. Pikachu and Eevee frolicked together as Eevee dared it to catch its brown bushy tail.

"I think our Pokemon stopped battling," she said.

Their mouths pressed apart from one another as they looked upon the empty battlefield.

"Hey, we weren't finished, were we?" he asked.

"Well you did come over to kiss me, you know." She smiled.

"Uh, last I recall, you were the one to walk over to me. Not that it matters though, as I'm sure I would have won that battle if we continued," Ash said.

"No you wouldn't have, I had you right in the palm of my hand. I was about to deliver the finishing blow!" May exclaimed.

"Nonsense! Your Eevee was about to collapse on the field! It might be able to take a lot of damage, but it can't hold up forever," he bantered.

She moved apart from him and brought her hand to her chin.

"Well then, want to figure out the winner as we go?" she asked.

"Sure," he nodded, "Pikachu, Eevee! Come on back! We're still battling!"

"Yeah, we want to finish our battle!" May added.

The two Pokemon heard their trainers but nonchalantly kept playing their own game. Apparently stopping mid-battle to kiss your opponent was not their idea of a proper battle, and thus they were opposed to the idea of starting again so soon.

"They're not listening," Ash said.

May took a Pokeball from her pocket and turned to him competitively. "Wanna use one of our other Pokemon to battle, then? I'll use Munchlax, 'k?"

"Ha, you got yourself a deal. Corphish could use a good workout, especially after the surfing competition it was in," Ash said, holding up its ball.

May smiled and quickly ran back to her trainers' box. Ash returned to his as well, as they were prepared to let their Pokemon out on the battlefield.

"Only this time, May, can you promise not to find the urge to kiss when we're in the middle of a battle?" he asked naively.

May giggled, "Heehee, I'll try! But no promises!" she said happily.

"Heh, ok then, but you're going down!" Ash shouted as he threw the Pokeball.

"No, YOU are!" May retorted, as she threw hers as well.

The two Pokemon materialized before their eyes, as they prepared to battle each other all night. Ash and May could feel the excitement consuming them, as both were in the mood to continue battling as long as possible. Ash knew it was an excellent way to relieve May's stress and worry about her Mom and Dad, and May knew it was an excellent way to relieve Ash's stress about Max's revelation about them being in love. It was a much needed alternative to moping hopelessly for the rest of the night as they waited to hear news about her parents and Brock.

They licked their lips in unison, and with one last competitive stare, they began their battle.

"GO!" Ash and May shouted.

~*~*~*~

"It's another dead end."

She kicked the soda can to the side of the alley, frustrated that they were unable to get any closer to their goal.

Norman and Tana stared at the trash strewn alley, both exhausted from tiredly searching the cold and unforgiving empty streets of nighttime Petalburg City. It was freezing at this time of night, especially since they were entering the Fall, when the weather in town became frigid.

Gardevoir's body swayed from left to right in an almost hypnotic motion, as it was trying to hone in on Ross' energy signature and see if it resonated with the residue left behind in the alleyway. Its body began to glow the majestic blue aura again, and Norman was taken back by how pretty it looked. His specialty was Normal-type Pokemon, but a Psychic-type like Gardevoir completely caught his attention. It was beautiful yet mysterious at the same time, and had intelligence to match with its psychic abilities. Norman pondered if perhaps this were a Pokemon that his son Max might want to use, he always did seem to have an affinity for Psychic Pokemon. He chuckled at the thought of the Petalburg Gym becoming a Psychic-type Gym in the future if Max took it over, but he realized that such a future would only exist if he was able to find Caroline and bring her back safely.

"It's quite cold, isn't it?" Tana asked suddenly, shivering.

Norman pulled his eyes away from the majestic psychic type and turned to Tana. "It does get cold on nights like this, I wouldn't be surprised if it went below 50 degrees," Norman said.

"I should of worn a sweater then, and kept my scarf and hat that I was wearing before," Tana sighed, "It's too late to go back to your house and get them, so I guess I'll manage without them."

"Hm, your apparel, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you," Norman said, "You purposely disguised yourself when you came to Petalburg, was it really because you didn't want to accidentally bump into Ash or my children and have them recognize you?"

Tana smiled and leaned against the alley wall. "That's part of the reason, since I knew Ash and your kids traveled back home to Petalburg. It was kind of a shock that Gardevoir's search for Ross led us to your hometown, I really wasn't expecting Ross to be in a place like this. He certainly is a city person, but a town like this attracts too much attention…with you being famous and all, I'd imagine he'd pick a smaller place."

"This is where his quest for badges led him, I was meant to be his last obstacle in his way of entering the Hoenn league. Since he failed to beat me things didn't work out as planned, so he must be holding up here for more time than he wanted to," Norman said, "Tana, if you don't mind me asking, what was the other reason you disguised yourself? You said my children were only part of it."

"Weeell, it was also to keep myself well hidden from Jamie, my friend," Tana said reluctantly, "She's with Ross now most likely, and I don't want her to find out I'm here and tracking the scumbag down, or else she might warn him what's going on. She…doesn't know what I'm doing, she doesn't know that I'm trying to save her from making a horrible mistake, again."

Norman paced the alleyway as he noticed Gardevoir needed more time. He quickly checked his watch and sighed, it was nearly two hours since they left the Gym and they still didn't come close to finding their target. The rest of the night was going to be a long one, and he was uncertain whether they'd even be able to find Ross before the night was through. He knew he wasn't going to return home until he found his wife, but he didn't want to worry his family back home if he didn't return by the next morning. He might have just regretted not leaving a way for his family to keep in contact with him while he was on the search after all.

He leaned against the wall next to Tana, whose scarlet red hair was being blown in the wind. "If you're such good friends with Jamie, why did things turn out the way they did?" he asked.

Tana hesitated. "I…don't know. She doesn't even know that I'm going to betray her for that matter. I just can't believe she'd treat Brock the way she did after everything we did together on the beach. She seemed to really like him at first, just like I did, but something was still bothering her. I guess it was the fact that Ross is power and money hungry, just like she is, and she wants that back. She's…willing to sacrifice Brock just to get back together with that madman, it's insane."

"Was there a reason they split up in the first place?" Norman asked, "I'm awfully curious, since you can let me in on clues on Ross' behavior that I didn't otherwise notice."

"Yeah, there was a reason, _I _was the reason," Tana said bluntly, "After the bastard nearly beat her to death, I talked some sense into her and managed to break them up for her own safety. It worked too, at least for a little while, where it was just me and her going about our business and trying to put our past behind us. It wasn't until we met Brock and his friends that the thought of Ross popped back into her head, the thought that Ross would forgive her if she delivered him a Gym leader."

"She's too loyal, and she's oblivious to the harm he's caused her. I can see now why you're trying to save her," Norman said.

"Yes," Tana sniffed, "I need to save her from getting herself killed. Guys like Ross will never change, he'll cause misfortune and ruin upon everyone around him for his own personal gain. Why Jamie wants to make up with the man is beyond me, I just hope it's not too late to talk some sense into her. Come to think of it, I'm certain that Premium Ball incident on the beach was the first clue that Jamie had other plans in store when Ash's money was accidentally transported into our hotel room."

"Ah, yes, Max told me all about that little mishap. Professor Latrommi's Premium Ball transported the money Ash got from his mother into the wrong place. Of course there was other foul play involved, namely those hooligans from Team Rocket, but I remember my son saying about how Jamie wanted to keep the money for herself, even after she found out that it belonged to Ash?" Norman asked.

"Yeah, Jamie was awfully persistent about keeping that money, even though she knew it blatantly belonged to Ash. Brock tried to talk some sense into her, and after some more quarreling, the money was rightfully returned to him. Now I'm curious if she was keeping that money to try and butter Ross up with, she probably had plans to hand it over to him rather than keep it for herself," she said.

"What a shame, I'm just glad that Ash indeed got his money back," he said, nodding, "He used his original sum to buy a gift for my daughter, a certain swimsuit she had her eye on, I heard he paid a pretty penny for it. He also gave some of the remainder of the money to Max to spend as he see fit. It's heartwarming to know that he split the money over my kids without hesitation, that's the kind of boy I want my children to be traveling with."

"Ash is a wonderful young man, and considering the close bond I've seen May and Max share with him, it's easy to see that they're all so tightly knit," she said confidently, "Heh, may I say something personal?"

"Sure."

"I…think your daughter and Ash would make a cute couple," she said, smiling, "I saw how enthusiastic they were together while they were surfing on the beach, especially during the competition. Their smiles, positive behavior, and overall demeanor was encouraging. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were developing strong feelings for one another. It was pretty easy to see the spark between them, the certain spark that was brewing, at least from what I've witnessed, that they care about each other a whole lot. If your daughter stays with Ash, she'll be in good hands for the rest of her life."

Norman chuckled and moved away from the wall.

"I've thought about that myself, and I sure wouldn't mind," Norman said, smiling, "They certainly match each other well, don't they? They're both kind, considerate, and optimistic go-getters but a little naïve, rambunctious and too headstrong. If Max is there to balance them out, they'll be fine. In any case, my daughter couldn't have made a better choice."

"I'm glad you think so too. After all the heartache Jamie, Brock and your wife are going through now, it would be nice to see at least one couple that doesn't have some kind of tragedy attached to it," Tana sighed, "I…could probably take a page from them, I would like to be happy like they are. If…if we manage to rescue Brock unscathed, I'm hoping that he and I could continue where we left off. I need a man like him by my side, I can't let Ross ruin it for me."

"It would seem like we're all affected by love then," Norman said, "We want to save our loved ones and make sure no harm comes to them. We're trembling inside at the moment, unsure if we'll even lay eyes on their innocent faces ever again. We want things to go back to the way they were, before this disaster took place. We…"

"…want to be like Ash and May," Tana finished.

"Yes," he said, nodding, "Strange, isn't it? We're grown adults and we want to be like a pair of children. It goes to show you that we can sometimes learn from the younger generation, just as much as they can learn from us."

Gardevoir turned to the humans and motioned for them to follow her, it was finally able to zero in on Ross' location thanks to the energy residue she was able to detect from his body around town. Tana and Norman glanced upon each other and smiled contently, they knew that they were in this mission together no matter what. It was a mission to save their loved ones from a common enemy, one who inflicted pain upon them all.

Gardevoir hovered down the empty streets quickly, hoping to not lose track of the energy signal. Norman and Tana jogged after her, both hoping that this would lead them to the end of their busy search.

Tana held her pants pocket down as she ran, for she was afraid that it would fall out of her pocket if she ran too fast. She originally hoped that Brock could help her with this, but that plan backfired when Jamie delivered him to the devil. Still, she wasn't afraid to do it herself if need be.

She had something very important to deliver to Ross when she saw him; a bullet through the brain.

~*~*~*~

"It's 10 O'clock," May said, "They've been gone a long time now."

Ash put two dishes full of Pokemon food down on the grass for Slakoth and Vigoroth. The two simian Pokemon quickly hopped over to the food and began digging their claws through the chow and brought it to their mouths hastily. Ash smiled and stepped backward before patting the two Pokemon on the head.

"It's awfully quiet in the greenhouse now, should we shut the lights?" Ash asked.

May walked across the grass and looked up at the switch on the wall which would turn off the large lights on the ceiling which overlooked the greenhouse. She shook her head and winked at him.

"No, I don't think Slakoth and Vigoroth want to sit here eating in the dark," she mused, "I think my Dad always leaves the lights on overnight anyway, we don't have to worry about electric bills or stuff like that with the salary my Dad earns."

"Yeah, I keep forgetting that Gym leaders are pretty well off. I guess that's how Brock always had enough money to keep all his little brothers and sisters well fed," he said, walking next to her, "Do you ever think about them, May?"

"Hm, who?"

"Brock's brothers and sisters, have you been thinking about them lately?" he asked, "I hope we don't have to relay any bad news to them depending on what happens tonight."

May grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him with her to the exit of the greenhouse. The two walked slowly while she held his arm.

"Ash, don't make me feel depressed and hysterical again," she sulked, "I don't want to hear any bad news. I do think about Brock's family a lot, and if we ever tell them what happened to him, they'll probably feel as much pain as we did. I…still can't get over what happened to my mother, it's just so hard to grasp the reality of it. I don't want Brock's little brothers and sisters to go through the same thing we did, so hopefully Dad and Tana get him and everyone else back safely. It's just…too depressing thinking about the alternative."

"Ok, I'm sorry. I should have never brought it up," he sighed.

"It's ok, the waiting is the hardest part anyway. C'mon, let's go see what my little brother is up to. He'll need our support right now, and I don't want him to feel scared for the rest of the night," she said.

They walked back into the Gym as the electronic doors closed behind them when they exited the greenhouse. May still clung to Ash's arm as they walked, despite what she said about her brother needing support, it was obvious that she still needed it too.

"Didn't you want everyone to sleep together in the same room for tonight? Should we go back for Slakoth and Vigoroth?" Ash asked.

"Nah, they prefer the greenhouse where they can hang from the trees and run around anyway. I don't think they'd be too comfortable in a small bedroom, and they're Dad's Pokemon as well. I'd like all of our Pokemon together for the night, since you know, we're our own little group separate from Dad?"

"Hm, the three of us and our Pokemon, kinda…like what Norman wanted," Ash said.

"Yeah…just us," she said, holding Ash's arm closely and chuckling, "Dad made a good choice when he decided to let me travel with you when you first met him all those years ago. He must have somehow known that you would be special."

"Heh, and what did you think when you first met me?"

"Me? Uh, I dunno, I just thought you were some funny looking kid with a Pikachu," she said, laughing.

Ash rolled his eyes.

"Of course that was before you barbecued my bike, which I was then ready to pick a bone with you for. Now that I mention it, I still never really got why Pikachu's electricity managed to fry my bike when it was attacking Team Rocket's robot," she pondered.

"I dunno, I've never been really lucky with girls and bikes," he said, "It happened to Misty during the start of my journey too!"

"Jeez, Ash, what's with you and destroying girl's bikes?" May asked snootily, "One has to ponder if you do that just to get a girl to follow you around."

"Hey, you think I destroyed those bikes on purpose?" Ash bantered.

"Either that or you have a blazingly positive track record for destroying girls' bikes. Methinks you did it purposely because you were lonely and wanted a nice, sweet girl to tag along with you!"

"I think you're crazy!" he bantered.

"But hey, it worked, huh?" she teased, winking.

"Wuh? Now you're really getting the wrong idea," Ash mused, "Um, anyway though, it did kinda set us up to travel together, so maybe…it was for the best?"

"Maybe! Of course when we get older and I buy myself a car, I sure hope you aren't as dangerous to cars as you are to bikes!" May squealed.

"What?! What would make you say that?"

"Like I said, you don't have a very good track record with girls' vehicles. Maybe…I won't let you near my car, I'd fear that you and Pikachu would burn it to a crisp!"

"Uh, isn't it a little early to think about getting a car?"

"So? I know it's early, but it's always good to think about the future! You know, when we're older and stuff."

"A car together? I kinda prefer traveling on foot," Ash moaned.

"Well…we'll see. Of course we'd buy one together, Ash," May said. She stopped walking and looked up at his face. "We're going to be together forever and ever, aren't we? We should think about these things sometimes."

Ash didn't answer right away, so May eyed him curiously. Did he fully grasp what she meant?

"We're going to be together forever and ever, right, Ash?" she asked again, more serious in manner.

She looked at him sternly, anxious of his response.

Ash hesitated for a second before reassuring her. He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Definitely," Ash said, rocking her shoulders.

May gasped joyously and allowed him to bring her close against his chest. She rested her face on his shoulder while they embraced each other with feelings of commitment and no lingering doubts.

"Thank you, Ash," May exclaimed, holding him tightly.

"It's the truth, I'll always be with you, May," Ash said lovingly, "I won't disappoint you."

They continued holding each other passionately, both in a world of apparent bliss while a pesky little brother and Pikachu spied on them from around the corner.

"You ever get somewhat annoyed how Ash shows more attention to May now than he does to you, Pikachu?" Max asked.

Pikachu shrugged. "Pikachu, chu," it said.

"Heh, same with me," Max chuckled, "I'm her little brother who she vowed to take care of and now she's more interested in Ash. And you're Ash's first Pokemon and best friend and he's spending a lot more time with May than you."

"Piiikaa," it cooed.

Max sighed, the sight of seeing Ash and May blushing as they acted romantic with each was starting to gross him out.

"We're both becoming second fiddles now, even though those two lovebirds won't admit it," Max said, yawning.

"Pikachu. Pika, pika! Pikachu! Pikachu, chu, Pika!" it said encouragingly.

"What? You're saying that as much as they love each other now, that there's still room for us and they'll never forget us?" Max asked, curiously.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

Max glanced back over at them and nearly gagged as their mouths started intertwining with each other. He turned toward Pikachu and smiled.

"I…I guess so, Pikachu. You're probably right, my sister still loves me a lot and would do anything for me, and Ash will always be your best companion, no matter how much their priorities shift toward each other. That's kind of like Mom and Dad too, they're married but they still love their children a whole bunch. It's…kind of amazing how love is different when it's about someone you have feelings for and then the love for your family and friends," he said, "I suppose if Mom and Dad can love us as much as each other, then Ash and May could probably do the same thing too. But yuck, their smooching is seriously grossing me out."

"Chaaa," Pikachu chortled.

May's lips slid off Ash's cheek as she heard whispering from around the corner. She lowered her arms and motioned with her head toward the direction of the wall near the kitchen.

"I think my brother is spying on us," she whispered, still holding Ash close.

"Really? How can you tell?" he asked as he rubbed her face slowly.

"I can faintly hear his little voice and Pikachu's too, I bet they're talking about how goofy we look kissing each other," she said.

"Eh, they're probably right, too! Ugh…now that awkward phase is setting in again, how about we stop for now, please? I'm getting a little nervous," he said jittery.

"Heehee, ok, Mr. Pokemon Master, I understand how you feel," she said, chortling, "If you haven't noticed, I'm kinda shaking myself!"

The couple let go of each other and took a deep breath. They both started awkwardly walking toward Max and Pikachu while they regained their composure. May pulled on her white skirt again as she walked, which was a nervous habit she had yet to break, while Ash, as usual, lowered the brim of his hat to cover his eyes a bit.

"Oh no, I think they see us!" Max cried.

"Pikachu? Pika!"

"What should I say? I don't want to say I purposely decided to spy on them to watch them kiss…even though…you know…that kinda IS the reason I decided to spy over the wall here," Max said, flustered.

"Pika, pika!"

"Yeah, lucky you. You don't even speak human languages so you don't have to do any of the explaining! Lucky, Pokemon," Max scoffed.

Pikachu laughed and ran away.

"Hey, wait, don't go!" Max pleaded, "Even though you don't have to talk I don't want to face them all alone!"

Pikachu stopped in its tracks and turned around. Max clasped his hands together and put on a puppy-dog expression.

"Pikachu," it sighed, it had no choice but to return thanks to Max's watery eyes.

Ash and May walked across the corner as Max was sitting on the floor with Pikachu a few feet ahead of him.

"Um, Max?" May asked, "You ok?

Max jumped up quickly and smiled nervously. "Yeah, sure! I was uh…just wondering if you finished feeding Slakoth and Vigoroth for the night!" he shouted unintentionally.

"Yep, we did!" Ash said, nodding, "I just gave them their dinner."

"Oh, well…ok then," Max said.

He put his hands in his pockets and began whistling nonchalantly as he timidly tried to walk away.

"Nice try," May said, as she dashed over and put her hand on his head to keep him in place.

"It's the truth!" Max pleaded, "Tell them, Pikachu!"

Ash grinned as Pikachu ran over to him and jumped on his arm. Ash and his Pokemon rubbed their cheeks together contently while a desperate Max watched.

"Traitor," Max muttered.

"Max, you're a cornball," May teased, "There's…nothing exciting about watching me and Ash kiss. We're actually quite bad at it, to tell you the truth."

"We're probably two of the worst kissers in the world!" Ash said, scratching his arm timidly.

"Yeah, we like totally suck!" May exclaimed.

"Jeez, you two are actually making it sound like I WANT to watch you do that stuff," Max moaned.

"Tee hee! Is that why we caught you peeking at us from around the corner?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh, just let me go! I don't like this conversation!" Max whined.

He pushed her hand off his head and ran away as quickly as possible. May snickered as she put her hand on her hip and turned to Ash and Pikachu.

"I bet he won't be doing THAT again," May said, "He's awfully embarrassed now!"

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu giggled.

"That's a relief," Ash said, his nervousness fading. "Um, did you really mean that though?"

"Hm, mean what? You really need to stop it with the open-ended questions, Ash," she chuckled.

"That we're quite bad at kissing? You were the one who said it first and I just went along with you. I can't really tell if we're doing it the right way or not!"

"Nah, I'm sure we suck," she grinned. "But as I said before, that's why practice makes perfect! We'll have lots of opportunities to practice and get better at it, I can promise you that."

She tapped him on the shoulder and walked off to follow her brother. Ash and Pikachu watched her from behind.

"She probably wasn't kidding, was she?" he asked.

"Pika," it shrugged.

"Sheesh, at this rate I'll be using my mouth more for her than I will for eating food!" Ash gasped.

Pikachu fell off Ash's shoulder anime-style because of his naïveté.

"Chaaaaaaa!" it sighed.

~*~*~*~

"This is the place," Tana said.

The trio stood before a shady nightclub with neon lights on the windows and beer cans scattered all over the floor. There were several people walking in and out of the club, as well as a few sitting on the curb in front of it while drinking themselves silly. Cigarette smoke filled the air which even made Gardevoir uneasy, despite the fact that its respiratory system is different than that of a human. The people were mostly young kids who looked like they were part of some street gang or another, several with shaved heads and matching tattoos that unified their identity. Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty place.

"So this is where my wife is being held, perfect," Norman said sarcastically.

"You know this place?" Tana asked.

"Yes, every crook and low-life in Petalburg hangs out here. Thank goodness it's far away from my Gym, I wouldn't want my kids socializing with these people," he said, crossing his arms.

They walked onto the sidewalk next to the club while several of the people looked up at the trio suspiciously. Norman turned to Tana and whispered to her.

"It would be best to return Gardevoir to its Pokeball. Pokemon aren't allowed in this club and we don't want to attract any unneeded attention," he whispered.

"Good call," Tana said. She reached into her pocket to take out its Pokeball, but fidgeted thanks to the handgun also being in the same pocket. When she pulled out her hand with the Pokeball, the handgun fell to the floor noisily. Norman took notice of the gun as Tana scrambled to pick it up and put it back in her pocket. She pushed her hair out of her eyes nervously and turned to Gardevoir. "Gardevoir…return," she said, flustered.

The red laser retracted Gardevoir back into its Pokeball and she slid it back into her pocket, a different one than the handgun this time. She looked up at Norman as she knew she had to give him an explanation as to why she had a loaded handgun with her.

"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Norman asked.

"I…I don't know. I was going to tell you about it eventually, but the opportunity never presented itself," Tana said, struggling as to what to say. "I'm…I'm not going to lie. There's…a good chance that Ross won't survive the night."

"You should have stated you intentions sooner," Norman said sternly.

"I know, I just want to make sure this madness ends tonight," she said, looking up at the man towering over her. The gun was part of the plan all along, but she knew that keeping it a secret until the last minute was not going to settle well with him. "Are…are you going to try and stop me?"

"Yes," Norman said, "Give me the gun."

"But that man raped your wife! How can you not…not want…?" she desperately asked.

"Hand me the gun," he said sternly. He held out the palm of his hand and positioned it near her face.

She hesitated and muttered some profanity under her breath. The man didn't flinch however, and continued to hold out his hand. She shook her head angrily and reached into her pocket and handed the gun over to him. She placed it in his hand and turned away in disbelief.

"Thank you," Norman said.

He unloaded the handgun and dropped the bullets to the floor while Tana watched. He then put the now unloaded gun into his pants pocket.

"No guns," he said.

"But…aren't you angry at all?!"

"I said no guns. I'll deal with Ross as I see fit," Norman said, turning back to the club.

"This is not just about you, though, it's about Brock and Jamie too! I'm hurting about this just as much as you are!"

"I know, don't worry, Ross will be brought to justice," he assured her, "Just not that way."

Tana frowned and crossed her arms, she had been planning this for a full week and Norman disarmed her in an instant. In the grand scheme of things, she was just an ordinary girl, not someone confident enough to take a persons life. Whether it was Brock or Norman, neither of the men would abide to pulling the trigger and killing someone in cold blood.

"So, how are we going to handle this then?" she asked.

"We'll cross that bridge as we come to it," he replied.

"Great," she muttered.

**One week ago… **

"Please…don't take him to Ross!" Tana pleaded.

"Why not? Don't you see, Tana, this is our lucky break!" Jamie said convincingly, "If we get Brock drunk enough when we bring him to Ross, we can get him to sign the contract! The contract will legally say that all rights and ownership of the Pewter Gym will shift from Brock's family to Ross. There's nothing to lose from this! Brock won't even get hurt, I'm sure Ross will let him go as soon as he signs the contract. Plus, this could be my only chance to get back together with him. He'll totally forgive me for this."

"You don't know that, you don't know that at all," Tana said angrily, "Ross isn't a forgiving person, and I bet even if you do bring Brock to him he'll just use him to his advantage and scoff at you. The man nearly _KILLED _you, Jamie, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Jamie turned around and shook her head hastily. She put her dark sunglasses over her eyes and pulled her long green hair into a ponytail, she didn't want Tana to notice the tears she had in her eyes.

"That…that was because I hurt him," Jamie said, nervously, "I…I accidentally cut his chin while I was giving him a shave…and…and he…"

"He punched you in the face and gave you the beating of your life," Tana reminded her, her words spoken in a harsh manner. "A man who beats you because you accidentally made a small cut on his chin while working with shaving cream does NOT deserve a second chance."

"That's, that's not true!" Jamie whined, her voice cracking, "I'll…I'll be more careful next time! I won't make that mistake again, and when I bring him Brock he'll forgive me, it'll be like we never broke up!"

"Bull. You'll never forget the pain you endured and the amount of stitches you needed to get. Nor will you forget all the blood you lost and how many days and nights you spent crying your eyes out while trying to forget about this trauma," Tana said, as her voice began to shift into a more understanding tone. "What's the matter, Jamie? We have everything we want _right now." _

The tears cascaded down Jamie's cheek, the sunglasses could no longer hide her sadness and frustration.

"No…NO! YOU have everything you need. Brock is _your _boyfriend and not mine. _My _only chance is to make things up with Ross and get my man back," Jamie cried hysterically, "I promise you, Tana, Brock will not be harmed! I just need him drunk enough to sign a contract, and that's it! After that you'll have your man back and I'll have mine. It's a win/win situation, I don't see why you can't let me be happy!"

"You're making excuses for yourself, Jamie," she said, shaking her head, "You're kidding yourself if you think you'll be happy with _that _man."

"Please, Tana, just let me be happy. Just promise me you won't get in the way, please," she pleaded.

Tana was silent.

"When Brock gets back from the store with the groceries, I'll let him know that I want to take him to meet a good friend of mine," Jamie said, confidently, "We'll first stop off at a bar and get him drunk, and then I'll lug him over in my car and drive to Ross. There he'll sign the contract, and the Pewter Gym will officially be under Ross' control instead of Brock's. That's all I need to do, that's all I need to get his forgiveness."

"And how do you think Brock will feel when he's sober again? How do you think he'll feel when he realizes he's signed his Gym away?" Tana asked.

"I…don't know. That's none of my concern, it's just something you'll have to deal with. He's your boyfriend, remember? He's your responsibility after that, not mine," she said sternly, wiping her face quickly, "I just promise you to bring him back unharmed. That's it."

"Sometimes I'm ashamed to consider you my friend," Tana scoffed, "You're willing to hurt my boyfriend by letting him lose his Gym for Ross' own personal gain. And you're willing to sell your soul for the devil again. Next time Ross decides to go ballistic on you because you made a little cut on his chin, you might not come out of it alive."

She walked toward the bedroom door and turned the handle.

"Tana," she whined.

"And I may not be there to save your life again," Tana said, angrily.

She opened the door and slammed it behind her, leaving a somber and conflicted Jamie in the room by herself.

**Five days ago… **

"WHERE IS HE?" Tana demanded.

"He's with Ross!" Jamie cried, "He…he wouldn't let him go!"

"What do you mean? Jamie, what the hell did he do to Brock? Where's my boyfriend?" she shouted.

She ran over to her friend and rattled her arms, the two women were emotionally wrecked.

"I TOLD YOU!" Jamie cried, "Brock wouldn't sign the contract, even when he was drunk. Somehow…he…he was sober enough to know not to sign it. Ross…got angry, and…and he didn't let him go! He's still there now, I'm not sure what he's doing to him!"

"Jamie, you idiot!" Tana exclaimed, slapping her friend across the face, "I need my boyfriend back, I need you to go back there and get him back for me!"

"But…"

"PLEASE!"

Several minutes of frustration and arguing went by before they reached an agreement.

"I'll…I'll try…" Jamie cried.

"Th-thank you!" Tana said emotionally.

The two women hugged each other for comfort as they moped in each others arms.

**Four Days ago… **

"You're the only person I can turn to for help, and I know how much you care for Brock and his friends. Please, help me?" Tana begged.

Professor Latrommi got up from his seat and scratched his chin. He walked around the desk in the living quarters and held his hands behind his back. He looked up at the ceiling and pondered for a few minutes as Tana watched patiently.

"I cannot loan you my Tyranitar for various reasons, thus the only Pokemon I can spare is my Gardevoir," Latrommi said, "I believe Ash and his friends told you about this, but that Gardevoir is the same one that performed the surgery on his Swellow when it was crushed by a tree before they met you at the beach. It…it would be the one most suitable for the job."

"Thank you, Professor!" Tana said jovially, "I don't want to get Ash and May involved in this, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't let them know what happened to Brock."

"I understand. Those kids have been in enough trouble lately, I'd rather them stay clear of this one," Latrommi said, "I care for Brock a great deal, he's a funny guy, all he really wanted to do was attract girls and get some women. I actually tried to help him with this with a ray gun of mine that attracted the female species to him, although that didn't work out as planned. Heh, you promise you'll help him?"

"I do, thank you for your support," Tana said.

She walked out of the living quarters and back into the lobby of the lab, where Gardevoir's Pokeball would be transported to the transfer machine from the Pokemon Center.

Latrommi yawned and stretched out his arms, he turned around as he picked up his phone to dial Nurse Joy.

"It's a shame Brock got mixed up in such a bad situation, I hope Gardevoir and the girl can rectify this," Latrommi said, "Heh, maybe after she rescues him I can ask them to make a video of them having fun with one another. I certainly enjoyed the first tape I have of those two girls together, hee hee!"

He scratched his rear before dialing on the phone, eager to get Nurse Joy on the line to help with this dire situation.

**…Present… **

"Careful, this place is anything but friendly," Norman warned.

Tana and Norman walked into the chaotic club, which was filled with loud music and chattering. There was the smell of beer and cigarette smoke in the air as well as the stench of urine. Tana had to hold her nose, she couldn't believe that these people were able to endure the odor.

The bar was against the wall typically with several stools next to the counter, most of which were occupied. The bartender was a gruff looking man with a beard and a raggedy shirt. His face consisted of routine, as if he had served the beers for the people in this club for several years.

Norman tapped Tana on the shoulder and told her to wait there as he went to speak with the bartender. Tana complied and instead glanced around the club a bit more. She noticed some pool tables, a dart board, people sitting on the dirty floor in their drunken state, and some poles with strippers swinging around in the back of the club. She cringed at the thought that Brock and Caroline were being held at a place like this, it was unbearable to think what they were subjected to here. The stench alone was enough to kill anyone, in which she kept her nose closed.

The bartender backed up away from the counter in shock as he recognized the man who approached him.

"You're….you're Norman from the Petalburg Gym!" the bartender gasped.

"Yes, I am. I'm looking for someone named Ross, and I know he's in this club, could you point me in the right direction?" Norman asked.

The bartender ignored his request, and continued to gasp in shock. "I don't believe it, it's you Norman, the Petalburg Gym leader!" he gasped again.

The people sitting on the stools next to the bar looked up surprised at the famous Gym leader, and quickly got up off their stools and exited the club. Various people muttered to each other that Norman of the Petalburg Gym was here, and since he was famous in Petalburg, nearly everyone knew who he was.

"What is he doing here?" a man asked.

"I can't believe it, I hope he doesn't get Officer Jenny involved here," a woman shouted.

"Is he still looking for his wife? I heard she was kidnapped?" another man gasped.

Tana was taken back when nearly every single person in the club was gaping at Norman's appearance. Several people darted out of the club as fast as possible, while many of the strippers jumped off their polls and ran into the back room. She stared in shock and disbelief as people brushed past her to exit the club, many of them with a look of anxiety and fear on their faces. Norman's reputation as a stern and powerful Gym leader carried his importance all the way to the poorer and dirtier sections of Petalburg, everyone here knew who he was. And more than that, they were afraid of him.

"Hey, don't all run away!" the bartender shouted, "There's still business to be had here!"

The people in the club ignored his request, and before too long, the once busy and bustling club was reduced to three people; Tana, Norman and the bartender.

"I don't believe it, they're all gone," Tana said.

"Yeah, o'course they're all gone!" the bartender scoffed, "With Mr. Gym leader here he scared away all my customers!"

"Why are they all afraid of him?" Tana asked.

"You kiddin' me? Norman could run any of the low-lives here into the ground with his Slaking, he's very well respected even by the scum that show up here every week. Nobody is going to get on his bad side, especially now that his wife is missing," he said, placing down an empty bottle on the counter.

"Tana, keep quiet," Norman instructed. He turned to the bartender hastily. "I'm losing my patience quickly, so I'll ask you again. Where is Ross?"

"Ross? Sorry, don't know him," he replied.

Norman angrily reached over the counter and grabbed the man by his shirt. The bartender stuttered in fear as Norman dragged him off the counter and slammed him against a wall. He held his back pinned up against the wall, while he angrily screamed in his face.

"Ok, maybe I do know him…but he's not here right now!" he said desperately.

"LIAR!" Norman shouted, slamming his body harshly against the wall once more, "I _know _he's here. I've had a psychic Pokemon track him down to this club. WHERE IS HE?"

"He's…he's…"

"ANSWER ME!"

"Norman, maybe you should…" Tana said timidly, reaching out her hand to try and get him to calm down.

"Tana, leave this to me," Norman said, turning toward her. He then pulled the bartender away from the wall and threw him down onto the floor. The man scampered to his feet quickly but Norman made sure to hover over him.

"Last chance, tell me where Ross is or I'll have my Slaking tear this entire club down brick by brick. Don't make me say this again," Norman warned, holding a Pokeball in his hand.

"FINE! FINE!" he gasped, "Ross is in one of the rooms in the back, he's been staying here for about a week! I think he has some other people staying in there with him too but I'm not sure. Please, that's all I know!"

"That'll be all then, now you can get out of my sight," Norman said.

The bartender nodded and scampered out the front door without looking back. Tana was impressed as much as she was shocked, May's father really was scary when he screamed. She could now see why people were so afraid of him, Norman's bad side was NOT something you would want to be on the receiving end of.

"We've found him, Tana, we've found him, finally," Norman said, relieved, "Brock and Caroline are being held in the sleeping quarters in the back of this club. We need to do this carefully."

"Yes, I know," Tana said, "I don't believe he knows that we're here yet, or at least I hope he doesn't. The people here did scream a lot, so I hope he doesn't know the club is deserted. If we can take him by surprise, all the better."

"Indeed, but do not let your Pokemon out of its ball just yet. I first want to make sure that we can get Brock and Caroline out of here safely. After that, I'll deal with Ross personally," he said.

"How are you going to do it? You unloaded my gun, and we don't have any other weapons on us beside our Pokemon," she said.

"We don't need weapons, all we need is our Pokemon by our side. Ross will be brought to justice, that's all you need to know," he said.

Tana sighed. _He's taking control of this mission himself, not that I blame him because it is his wife. I just hope I can get a good blow on Ross myself, I have a score to settle with him, _she thought, _I don't even know if Jamie is here at the moment, if she isn't, it'll be much easier to confront Ross and take him down. If she IS here, then she better not get in the way. I just hope she doesn't try to stop us, or else I'll have no choice but to take her out for her own good. _

Norman and Tana slowly walked side by side to the back of the club, where one closed door separated it from the room that Ross and their loved ones were surely in. They slowly walked toward the door, quietly, hoping to get this over with quickly. Just as Norman was about to turn the handle, he heard someone scream his name from the front of the club.

"NORMAN! Long time, no see!" Ross shouted.

Norman and Tana turned around quickly, shocked to see that Ross and four other men were standing at the front of the club. They were all dressed in dark attire with chains hanging down their necks, presumably friends of Ross by their hostile demeanor.

"You…you knew we were here?" Norman asked, surprised.

"Sure, the people who ran out of the club notified me the first thing. I have a lot of friends here, as you can see." Ross smiled, looking over at his four companions. There were two on each side of him, some of which were already starting to crack their knuckles. "You made a big mistake coming here, Norman, my buddies and I would like to finish the job that I started with your face."

Norman took his hand and rubbed his cheekbones and his mouth slowly, feeling the torn tissue from their last encounter. He still didn't fully heal yet from when Ross jumped him and kidnapped his wife, thus Ross' line agitated him greatly.

"You scumbag, where are Brock and Caroline?" Tana blurted out.

"I figured you'd be here too, since you were the one that helped Norman's daughter back in the alley, right?" Ross asked snobbishly, "Man, I can't wait to get my hands on that girl and pay her back for what she did to me. You know, maybe after I deal with you two I'll go back to the Petalburg Gym for the rest of them. I already have Pewter Gym under my control, I'd like to add the Petalburg Gym to my collection as well."

"What? Brock would never…" Tana gasped.

"Yeah, that's the plan. Now that both of May's parents will be out of commission, I'll go back for the girl myself," Ross said, "And don't worry, Norman, if your wife was any indication, your daughter is sure going to be entertaining as well. I'll be sure to take her innocence from her."

Norman had heard enough, and was no longer ready to play anymore games. He threw his Pokeball ahead of him as his Slaking materialized on the floor. The gorilla had its massive fists on the ground, staring at its prey angrily. It snorted from its nose and awaited his masters' command. Norman nodded in Tana's direction.

"Gardevoir, come out!" Tana commanded, throwing her Pokeball in the air.

The feminine figure of the white and green Gardevoir formed next to Slaking, swaying back in forth in its typical eerie demeanor.

Ross and his accomplices did nothing but grin when they saw the two Pokemon ahead of them. They appeared to have no Pokemon with them, but the four men apparently had no fear about confronting them themselves.

"Alright, boys, get this over with quickly," Ross said, "I have someplace to be, mainly the Petalburg Gym!"

"NO!" Norman shouted, "Slaking, pummel through them, now!"

Slaking roared as it raced toward the four men, ready to tear them to pieces. Instead of jumping out of the way, the men instead pulled out electric tasers that were in the shape of handguns. Before Norman could see what was going on, the men were firing blasts of electricity from their weapons at the massive ape.

Slaking screamed as the electric shocks came in contact with its body, but such attacks would not phase the ape completely. It used its massive arm to slam two of the men into a wall, harshly hurting them while the other two continued to fire.

Gardevoir hovered in the air and fired Shadow Ball attacks at the men, one of them which collided with the bar and destroyed it in the process.

"Ross is getting away!" Tana exclaimed.

"I'll run after him!" Norman shouted, "You go into the back room and see if you can help my wife and Brock!"

Tana nodded and quickly ran to the door in the back of the club while their Pokemon were battling the punks with electric tasers. She turned the knob but the door was locked, so she frantically backed up a few steps and tried to kick down the door.

Ross darted out of the club and onto the street, looking around quickly for a means of escape.

"Dammit, where is my motorcycle?" Ross complained, "I'll have to leave Caroline and Brock there, but who gives a damn. I had my fun and I have the contract, that's all that matters."

One of the punks saw Norman running toward him and tried to zap him with the taser. Norman avoided his attack and gave him a fierce punch to the face which sent him flying on his back. The Gym leader was about to exit the club when he turned around to take one last look at the situation. Slaking and Gardevoir were screaming in pain as they received multiple shocks of electricity, but they did not let down their masters in the least. As much as they were getting hurt, the Pokemon still fought intently and bravely, using their own attacks to constantly give the four men the fight of their life. He also noticed that Tana had managed to kick down the door in the back of the club, and watched her run inside. He put a half smile on his face as he realized that Tana would soon see his wife, Caroline, as well as Brock. Knowing that he had to stop Ross as he couldn't let him get to the Petalburg Gym where his children were, Norman quickly turned around and dashed out the club.

He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the club when he noticed Ross charging at him on his motorcycle. He was twirling a chain in the air as he drove by and took a swing at Norman. The chain wrapped around Norman's arm harshly, in which Ross pulled on the chain and dragged him down to the ground. The Gym leader screamed as he was being dragged down the street against his will while Ross rode on his motorcycle, cackling all the way.

Norman tried to pull the chain off his arm with all his might, but it was of no use. The chain was wrapped around his arm too tight and he was being dragged down the street at the same time as the motorcycle went 10mph. Ross was clearly toying with the man, and enjoyed torturing him as Norman's body was being pulled along.

"Ha, that's enough for now," Ross said, stopping his motorcycle, "I'll let the boys at the club finish you off, have fun!"

He dropped the chain to the floor and drove off in his motorcycle at top speed. Norman lie on the floor, with pain fluctuating through half his body and the chain still around his arm. He struggled to sit up straight and after a few more moments of sustaining the terrible pain in his body, he slowly unwrapped the chain from his arm. He panted desperately and wiped the blood off his face, discouraged that he was unable to prevent Ross from getting away.

"Damn…he's heading toward my house," Norman grunted, struggling to stand on his feet, "There's no way I can get there before him…unless I get Gardevoir to teleport me there. Ugh, I…must head back into the club…can't let him harm May and Max."

Norman staggered, clutching his left arm as he headed back toward the club. The man had taken a heavy beating from being dragged down the street, but he was not willing to give up. He could hear all the explosions and roars from the Pokemon inside the club, he feared that even Slaking and Gardevoir were being taken down by the four men with tasers.

Inside the club, Tana entered the small, dark room after kicking open the door. She slowly peered inside, but the room was vacant. She turned on the lights and saw only a single mattress against the wall, a table with several pills covering it, and broken beer bottles scattered along the floor. Her eyes scanned the room quickly, but there was nobody there!

"I don't believe this, I thought Brock and Caroline were being held here!" Tana gasped, "Did Ross move them to another place?"

"He did," a voice called out from behind, "They're around here somewhere, but not in a place where you'll ever be able to find them."

Tana turned around quickly and was astonished when her longtime friend Jamie came walking toward her.

"Jamie?" Tana gasped, "So you ARE here! Thank goodness, you can help me get them out of here!"

Jamie shook her head. Tana immediately knew something was strange.

"Jamie, what's the matter?" Tana asked, taking a step toward her, "What are you…?"

Before she could say another word, Jamie fried her with her own electric taser. She fiercely shoved the taser into Tana's stomach, surprising her best friend with a devastating attack. The electricity coursed through her body as Tana fell to the ground, completely dumbstruck that her friend turned on her like that.

Jamie peered over at Tana's fallen body, which was twitching from the shock. She chuckled and put her taser away, as she then kneeled down over her friend and rubbed her hand through her hair.

"Ross and I are going to be happy together," Jamie said in a delirious manner, stroking Tana's hair some more, "I won't let you get in our way."

She took her foot and kicked her friend swiftly in the abdomen as she lie there completely defenseless. Jamie had taken her down, and was prepared to deliver the finishing blow if needed.

With Tana down for the count, Norman badly injured, and the Pokemon fighting for their lives, it appeared that their rescue mission was not going as smoothly as planned.

~*~*~*

The trio at the Petalburg Gym were in May's bedroom in their sleepwear. Ash was wearing his black t-shirt and sweatpants, while May was in her yellow T-shirt and blue spandex shorts. Max wore a white tank top and shorts, and he was sitting on the edge of the bed, having just finished brushing his teeth.

Pikachu was already sleeping on Ash's sleeping bag which lie beside the bed. May had allowed Max to sleep in her bed for the night and promised to be there for him if need be. She also decided to sleep next to Max in her bed, she wanted to remain close to him just incase he needed her. Ash, of course, had no problem sleeping in his sleeping bag while the two siblings shared the bed together.

Beautifly was resting on top of the bookshelf while Skitty was sound asleep in an armchair. The rest of their Pokemon preferred their Pokeballs as the remained in the form of energy.

Ash stretched out his arms and sat down next to Max on the side of his bed. He put his arm around Max, almost treating him like his own little brother. All the previous romantic implications between Ash and May were no longer relevant, as the more important issue of Norman and the others was back in the forefront of their minds. The uneasiness however consumed them as they were worrisome about the endeavors about their loves ones.

"It's midnight now, I guess they won't be back till sometime early in the morning," Max said unsurely.

Ash rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "Maybe, although when they do find Brock and your mother, I'm sure they can simply teleport with Gardevoir back home instead of walking all the way back. We'll probably see them much sooner than you expect, Max," Ash said optimistically.

"I hope so," Max said, taking a deep breath.

May emerged from the bathroom and yawned while stretching her arms above her head. She smiled at her brother and Ash warmly.

"Max, if you want to sleep next to Ash in my bed instead of me, you can," May offered.

"Eh, I don't really care. Either one of you is fine," Max said, grinning.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu cooed on the sleeping bag.

Ash noticed their weary expressions as the siblings yawned. It was a heartbreaking day for all of them, and they required some much needed rest. With some prayers and a little luck, their family would be complete once again the next morning.

Ash, May and Max radiated the room with their compassion and closeness with each other, it was apparent that the three of them were a closely-knit set. It was what Norman envisioned for his children when he first allowed Ash to take them under his wing, and a few years later, his expectations were fulfilled.

They were their own little family; a family growing up and going through life together.

Right when Ash was about to climb into his sleeping bag, he heard a sound.

The doorbell rang.

The group looked at each other with startled and ecstatic expressions. Even Pikachu shot up from the sleeping bag and jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

Could…could this be? Could Norman and Tana have returned home with their mother and Brock? Who else would be ringing the doorbell at this hour?

"Dad…?" May gasped.

"MOM!" Max shouted gleefully.

Without a moments hesitation, Ash, May and Max ran out of the bedroom as quickly as possible. Pikachu had to hang onto Ash's shoulder tightly or else it feared it would fly off. Skitty and Beautifly didn't hesitate to follow either, with the playful kitty running down the stairs and the majestic butterfly following in unison.

The trio approached the front door with overjoyed demeanors, the hope to see their missing mother and friend again was so great that it nearly overwhelmed them to the point of tears.

May could barely stop giggling and fidgeting with her hands as she waited. She couldn't believe that she got herself so worried and depressed for no reason. Within a few seconds she would see her precious mother again, the mother she cherished and loved.

"Open it! Open it!" May insisted.

"Ok, ok!" Ash said happily.

It was a moment of pure captivation and enchantment.

Ash turned the doorknob, and the cheery faces of him, May, Max, Pikachu, Beautifly and Skitty awaited the recipients.

The door cracked open, and only one person was standing in the doorway. His mouth turned into a smirk, as he put his hands into his pockets and cackled.

"Nice Gym you have here," Ross said, smirking at the gaping children.

And thus, their gleeful expressions and hopeful spirits were crushed into a million pieces in an instant.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

The children couldn't speak. The Pokemon couldn't utter a sound. In fact, there was no sound, at all. Only stunned silence filled the air; stunned and petrified silence. The absolute shock of Ross standing in the doorframe tore their hope into a million pieces.

May's heart was beating rapidly from the excitement of seeing her mother, the excitement of seeing her cherished mother safe and sound. When the door opened and the figure didn't resemble her, her heart felt like it exploded. Not from joy, but from severe shock and fear. Her heart felt like it blew up into pieces inside her body, and there was no longer anything beating against her chest. Her whole body felt stiff and wooden, as if there was no soul occupying the flesh that was staring and gaping at the man in the doorframe.

Max shared a similar reaction to his sister, only his wasn't as petrified or dumbstruck as hers. The younger brother didn't share any of the horrifying experiences or shocking revelations with Ross that May did. He never confronted Ross alone. He never had to fend himself off from a man who was willing to shock him with a taser and kidnap him. And most of all, he was never made aware of the news that his mother was raped.

He was shocked, but not to the level of stunned silence where he couldn't breathe or twitch like his sister. Max didn't know the full extent of the cruelty done to his parent, and unlike May, he didn't know how evil and unforgiving the world could be. He gaped in silence, hoping that either his older sister or Ash would approach the man in the doorway.

Ash's hand was still on the doorknob, for he was the one that opened the door and let the man in. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the shape he was expecting in the doorway to greet him was different. He was expecting a tall feminine figure, with brown hair and a heartwarming smile. Instead, a man dressed in black leather with a shaved head appeared before him, a man with a wicked smile and an ominous demeanor.

The Pokemon were speechless; Pikachu, Beautifly and Skitty stared in confusion.

Ross knew the tensions were high, so he eased it as he pushed his hand through his shaved head and let out a playful giggle. The children were easy prey, all three of them were standing like statues and gaping at his appearance. If he wanted to, he could kill them before they knew what was going on. In an instant, he could have easily used his blade that he concealed in his pocket by shoving it into Ash's gut, thus painfully finishing off the annoying boy for good. He could have then just as easily removed the sharp and deadly blade from the older boy's insides, and then use it quickly to slash the throat of the younger brother standing nearby. There wouldn't be any time to react, of course there wouldn't. In an instant, he could have killed Ash and Max before May's very eyes. One swift flick of the blade and the two boys lives would be over in the blink of an eye. The girl wouldn't even have time to react, as she could barely stutter. He knew that after finishing off the Pokemon, that May would be all his. And there was no better way to extract revenge on May for their previous encounter than by giving her a slow and painful death by slashing through her flesh.

But nah, that would have been too easy. He realized if he did that, it would have been too simple, too quick, and too anticlimactic. He wanted to have a little fun with them instead; the death and revenge could come later.

He laughed and made a request.

"Can I come in?" he asked politely.

His question was left unanswered.

"Well, I'll help myself then. You got anything to eat in the fridge?" he asked nonchalantly.

Ross walked into the house and gently pushed through Ash and May very easily. He slowly walked through the living room and looked back out of the corner of his eye at the children by the door. They barely moved an inch.

He snickered, this _was _going to be too easy.

Ross walked over to the fridge and opened the door, and in a baffling manner, took out a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and jelly. The man set the ingredients on the kitchen table, and prepared to make himself a sandwich.

As he was taking out the bread and smearing across the jelly, he looked over from the table at Ash and others.

"Hey, you mind closing that door? I feel a draft coming in, it's cold outside!" he called out.

Ash's hand slowly slid off the doorknob, as he faintly turned around and stared at Ross in the distance. He took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of himself, peering slowly at the two siblings to the left and right of him. Their faces were blank, and only gave off the impression of uncertain fear.

He looked down at the Pokemon, and Pikachu returned his awkward gaze. Nevertheless, Pikachu knew Ash's intentions. There was a dangerous rapist in the house, there were no adults around, and they had to make sure that they survive the night.

Ross continued to cut the loaf of bread with his blade, relaxing at the kitchen table as if it were his own domain. He dipped his blade in the jelly and gazed playfully over the trio near the doorway.

Ash was finally able to get over his shock and muster some thoughts.

_…what is he doing? _he thought, _Why is he making himself a sandwich? He must be insane, which worries me even more because I don't know what he's going to do next. Damn, what do I do? _

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked carefully, nudging him with its paw.

"Pikachu," Ash muttered, trying to get a grip on himself.

Ash took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. Something was going to happen, something big. He knew it was coming, but he didn't know when. He timidly took one step forward as he stared at Ross across the room. His shoe creaked along the wooden floor as it hallowed throughout the house. An awkward silence ensued, but the man continued making his sandwich.

With some courage left in his body, he took another small step with his other foot, only this time, something held him back. It wasn't imaginary or his conscience that prevented him from walking forward, but it was physical. His arm was behind held by something, something warm, something familiar.

He slowly looked down to see what was holding him back, and it was the warm but frightened grip of a delicate hand. He looked slowly to the left, noticing that it belonged to a girl he loved, May.

They looked upon each other with frightened and nervous expressions, her hand squeezing hard on his arm, but something was reassuring. They cared for one another, and May wasn't willing to let him charge into a dangerous situation. They were going to get through this together.

"Wait," she said faintly, the words barely escaping her mouth.

She loosened her grip on him and stood still, slowly peering at the man ahead of them.

"May?" a faint voice asked from below.

Ash and May turned around and saw the innocence of Max's face looking up at them. The boy was quickly aghast by the fear on Ash and May's faces, they were pale white and devoid of any resemblance of the people he knew. Max quickly realized that this was very serious, and slowly backed up a few steps.

Ash and May glanced at one another and both took deep breaths. They agreed unanimously and silently, that Max needed to be out of danger. They both looked over at Ross, who was biting down on his sandwich without a care in the world. Thus, they knew they had time.

"Max, take Skitty and wait outside," Ash instructed, his voice shaking.

Max was confused.

"Max, please," May said, trying her best to sound authoritative. Instead, her voice only came out as a squeak.

Max didn't need any further incentive to comply. He quickly snatched Skitty off the ground and backed out the open door, slowly staring back at his sister and best friend in the doorway as he stood in the grass outside. Skitty watched curiously in Max's arms, as the two stood in the chilly breeze in the dead of the night, unsure of what might happen in the house. The grass tickled the boys' feet and the cold made him shiver, but Max knew not to move.

"Beautifly, stay by me," May said.

Beautifly nodded and hovered closely to its trainer.

Ross noticed they had Max leave the house, and that they were getting their Pokemon ready, but he pretended not to notice and continued eating his sandwich.

"Be careful," she whispered, slowly rubbing her hand along his arm.

"You too," he whispered back.

With their Pokemon by their side and their hearts set on making things right again, Ash and May slowly inched their way toward the mentally unstable man in the kitchen.

~*~*~*

His body ached and the blood dripped down his face. He pulled himself alongside the corner as he breathed heavily, struggling to keep conscious even. He leaned against the wall of the club as he gasped and the blood trickled to the pavement.

_He's probably at my house by now, I need to get back, _Norman panted, thinking to himself.

The man heard all kinds of screaming and rampaging from inside the club, but dared not to enter as he would either be trampled by his Slaking or be on the receiving end of tasers from Ross' companions.

_Gardevoir, Slaking, I'm counting on you, _Norman gasped.

Suddenly, one of the men from inside the club was thrown out of the window and into a parked car on the side of the street. Norman was surprised as the glass shattered around him as a second man was slammed into a brick wall on the other side of the block.

As the reality of the two men being knocked out finally sunk in, Norman turned to the window and was greeted by the snorting face of his giant ape, Slaking.

"Slaking," Norman gasped joyously.

The giant ape burst through the doorframe of the club and walked up to Norman's battered body. The man nearly collapsed into the arms of his Pokemon.

"Did you win?" Norman asked.

Slaking grinned and nodded.

Norman chuckled, even though it was painful, as Slaking carried him in his arms while they walked back inside the club together. Slaking had several burnt marks on its body from the electric shocks, but it was holding up fine.

Norman peered over Slaking's arms to see what happened during the rest of the fight. Much to his delight, the two other men were knocked out cold as they lie on the unforgiving floor with their tasers smashed to pieces.

Gardevoir hovered in the room beautifully as the blue aura highlighted its body, and it winked encouragingly at Norman and Slaking.

"Heh, you two did it after all. Thank you," Norman said, happily.

Gardevoir immediately saw that Norman was badly injured, and quickly hovered down next to the esteemed Gym leader and his loyal Slaking. Gardevoir uttered some speech in Pokemon language as it told Slaking to lower Norman's body to the floor. Slaking complied, gently lowering his trainers' body to the ground and stepping away slowly.

"No…don't waste time trying to heal me, find my wife!" Norman pleaded, "Ash…and May are in danger as well…Ross headed toward my house on his motorcycle!"

Gardevoir and Slaking glanced upon each other unsurely. Were they to obey the man even though he was in pain and was bleeding heavily? Or would they instead decide to leave him there and go look for Caroline?

When Gardevoir noticed blood staining the floor underneath Norman's back, it knew that this was serious. Ignoring the Gym leader's plea, Gardevoir kneeled down beside him and placed its hand on his chest. It began to hum its majestic chant as its body glowed once more, and Gardevoir slowly began the same healing process that it used on May's Combusken with Norman. If Norman wasn't healed quickly, he would die. Gardevoir and Slaking agreed that he needed to be healed before they make any other moves, much to the Gym leader's dismay.

~*~*~*~

May held her hand close to her face, a mix of anxiety, fear and rage consuming her.  
Every step she took came with a certain ounce of caution, she knew that one wrong move could be the end of her. She wasn't going to take any chances, not this time, not this time at all. One way or another, it would end tonight.

The man she hated so much was only ten feet away from her sitting at the kitchen table. Never before did she feel such hatred toward another person in her entire life. The man she _despised _for causing her so much pain was sitting there at _her _kitchen table, mocking her by eating a sandwich in her house.

Her rage was slowly but surely emerging and suppressing her anxiety and fear. Every second she spent glaring at the evil man did her emotional stability have a few tremors. In just a short timeframe, the man managed to ruin her cheery, optimistic, and innocent view on life. Never before could she imagine such horrible deeds such as rape and violence register in her mind. She couldn't bare it, her once perfect family was twisted and torn apart by a horrible demon who conjured fear and ruin in its wake.

She took another step forward, the rage building some more.

She _hated _him. She couldn't think about the man any other way. He needed to disappear, he needed to vanish. She needed her mother back. She needed her father by her side. She needed her family reunited, and the only way that could happen is if the evil man disappeared forever.

But how could she do it?

Was she capable of ridding herself of the evil man forever? Was she capable of violence herself? Was her rage and frustration building to the point where she could take a human life?

For a mere second, the thought of inflicting a tremendous amount of pain on the evil man existed in her head. She was shocked by her own wicked thoughts, so much so that she felt like running away with Ash and her brother and leaving the man alone in her house.

But she knew she couldn't do that.

If she left him alone now, he would surely win the game. Justice would never be served, and Ross would succeed in getting everything he wanted. If she let him be, the wicked man would always exist in her thoughts and would haunt her for the rest of her life. Most of all, the loss of her mother forever would drive her to a near suicidal path.

She took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind of all the conflicting emotions and thoughts running in her head. It was a harsh ordeal, because her mind felt like it was ready to explode.

She remembered the promise she made to her mother before the evil man took her away. She promised her mother that she was going to be brave, that she would stand up to those who opposed her, and that she wouldn't be fearful and run away.

She needed to _honor _that promise, especially a promise made to her mother; the mother that was currently gone and that she wanted to see again more than anything in the world.

Could she do it?

Could she possibly stand up to Ross and take him out of her life once and for all? The last time she encountered him, she did a number on him and took him down with her Combusken. She desperately rattled him and asked him where her mother was, but she didn't receive and answer to her desire.

Would she get one this time? Would she be able to find out where her mother was, if she was even alive at this point? Or would it just be a repeat of before?

She took another step forward. Ross was still eating at the table. His sandwich was almost gone, one or two more bites and he would be done.

Confidence began to build. Rage began to suppress. Hate remained the same, but not to a point of frustration.

Ash was by her side. She knew he would protect her with his life. Confidence grew higher. Her boyfriend was always a hero through thick and thin, and she knew this time he would be no different. She knew she had to be just like him, or rather, his counterpart. If he was a hero, she needed to be a heroine.

The sandwich was finished. Ross sat there licking his fingers.

She took another step forward.

She turned to her left as Ash was right beside her. A few more seconds and it would begin.

The final battle.

~*~*~*~

"You shouldn't have come back!" Jamie yelled as she paced the room.

Tana moaned on the floor, holding her head, trying to recover from the electrical shock to her gut. She lie on the floor defenseless, shocked in disbelief that her best friend would ever do something so malicious to her.

"I told you not to interfere!" Jamie cried, "Ross and I were going to make up and be a couple again, a nice, sweet, happy couple!"

Tana tried to move along the floor, struggling to crawl to an armchair to lift herself up.

"I really hate to do this, Tana, I really do," Jamie wailed. She walked over to Tana's body and stared at her fallen friend. "I'm not sure what Ross is going to do to you when he comes back, but I won't be able to stop him. You sealed your own fate this time, and it's your own damn fault for coming here in the first place."

Tana groaned, sitting herself against the legs of the chair. "Why…why are…you so deluded?"

Jamie laughed and shook her head.

"Sorry, Tana, not this time. You're not going to talk me out of it. Ross and I will be happy and that's all that matters. He already has the contract for the Pewter Gym signed, and pretty soon he'll have the one for the Petalburg Gym as well. This man knows how to get power, he knows how to get real power. When he sees something, he goes for it," Jamie said, kneeling before the girl, "And that's the kind of man I need by my side."

"You're…a fool," Tana groaned.

"No, you're the one with your face in the dirt," Jamie scoffed.

She raised the electric taser in her hand and was ready to give Tana another shock to the abdomen, this time on an increased voltage. Tana struggled to move away but her body didn't have enough willpower to move.

"Don't…" Tana begged.

"Sorry, girl, but I need to be happy," Jamie moped, a single tear cascading down her cheek. "If…if I have to lose my friend to get my man…then so be it."

"Lower the taser, Jamie," a voice commanded from the room.

"Huh?"

Jamie turned around and was startled when she saw an unpredictable sight; Brock and Caroline were standing by the rear door exit of the room!

Brock's face was filled with dirt and his clothes were raggedy and worn, but the man gave a chilling scare down Jamie's spine nonetheless. Even more surprising, by his side stood the missing mother, Caroline, wrapped in a single raggedy towel as her only apparel. The towel was filthy and had several tears and dirt spots, but the mother had nothing else to cover up her beaten body otherwise. Her previous clothes were torn to pieces when Ross took advantage of her, and her leg was still wrapped in a small piece of cloth to heal the wound from Sableye. The rest of her body was filled with cuts, bruises, and other mutilations. Her face was filled with grief.

"Brock? Wha…where the…?" Jamie gasped.

"You didn't think Ross could keep me secure forever, did you?" Brock asked, grinning. He looked upon Tana, who had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. He nodded confidently.

"Do as he says," Caroline said, "Lower your weapon."

Jamie was dumbstruck. How did they get here?

"…I don't get it, you guys shouldn't be here!" Jamie yelled.

"Yeah, but we are," Brock said, "I severely hope you didn't do anything to harm my girlfriend, because I'm going to get very angry if you did."

"I…" Jamie gasped.

"Drop the taser, we can put this behind us," Brock said.

Jamie desperately looked upon the faces of Brock and Caroline, they had so much hurt in their eyes. They were kidnapped and tortured for various means, and the pain in their expressions was horrifying.

She quickly turned around and looked at her best friend sitting on the floor, who was exhausted and trying to recuperate. The best friend that _she _shocked with the taser. The realization that she was producing the same kind of pain and grief toward people that Ross did was quickly catching up with her. And it hurt, it hurt bad.

Jamie started to cry, and dropped the taser to the ground.

Brock was relieved, and quickly walked over to her and kicked the taser to the side of the room. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned against the door on the other side of the room.

"Hey, Tana," Brock said compassionately, picking his girlfriend up off the ground. He held her body against his own as she struggled to walk alongside him. Without even exchanging anymore dialogue, the happiness in their faces was revealed. They chortled as they walked together toward Caroline.

"She's ok?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Brock said happily, rubbing Tana's back.

"Ja-mie," Tana uttered.

Brock turned around and noticed that Jamie was still crying on the floor. The floor filled with tears, tears of sin and regret from the woman who betrayed her friends.

"Leave her be, let her cry out her regrets," Brock said.

"Indeed," Caroline agreed.

Brock held Tana close as they exited the room. Caroline took one last look at the room where she was held, the mattress where she was violated, the pillar she was chained to, and struggled to push the disturbing images out of her head for good.

"Wa-it!" Jamie called out.

"What is it?" Caroline asked, standing by the door.

Jamie sobbed some more before she managed to speak. Caroline could tell that the woman was breaking down completely.

"I…I'm sorry," Jamie confessed, wailing on the floor, "I'm…sorry about what Ross did to you."

Caroline's face broadened. She hesitated for a moment, and then said her last words.

"Don't pretend to be sorry," Caroline said sternly, "Just cry out your regrets."

"But…"

"I have nothing more to say to you," she replied.

Caroline exited the room and closed the door, leaving Jamie all by herself in the dark, depressing room.

~*~*~*

Ross leaned back in his seat, jumped to his feet, and walked toward the kids in front of him.

"You two look so serious, something going on that I should know about?" Ross asked.

No more games. It was time to cut straight to the chase.

"Beautifly, use Silver wind!" May commanded.

"Hm?" Ross sneered.

Beautifly hovered in the air and flapped its wings ferociously, creating a huge gust of wind which brought Ross to his knees.

"Not bad," Ross grinned, struggling to his feet.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Beautifly, combine string shot!" May added.

As the Pokemon powered up their attacks, Ross quickly darted from his position and charged toward Ash.

"What?!" Ash gasped.

Ross grabbed the boy by his shirt and violently slammed him against a wall. Ash struggled to pull Ross' hand off him but his grip was too strong a hold. His hands slowly moved up toward Ash's neck, where he started to squeeze to kill.

"ASH!" May shouted.

Beautifly and Pikachu fired their attacks, the electricity combining with string shot to form a powerful combination attack. As the attacks were about to make their mark, Ross let go of Ash's throat and dodged to the side.

Ash gasped for air as he slid down the wall, the attacks struck behind him which destroyed the wall to pieces. He gasped and gagged on the ground as pieces of wood fell down beside him.

"You're always too slow!" Ross yelled.

"Damn you!" May shrieked.

She desperately picked up a chair from the table and threw it at Ross with all her strength. Taken back by her aggressiveness, the chair hit against his head and made him collapse to the ground. Upon hearing the thud, Ash struggled to his feat and jumped on top of Ross' body to pin him to the ground.

"Stay down! May, check his pockets!" Ash yelled.

"Ash!" May gasped.

Ash struggled to hold Ross' arms down as the man tried to break free. He sat on his torso as Beautifly used string shot to wrap several threads around his legs. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold him down too long, as Ross was getting more agitated by the second.

May darted toward Ross and put her hands inside his pockets, realizing that Ash wanted her to search for any weapons that he might have on him. She checked his right pocket as the man moved erratically, but found nothing.

"GET OFF ME!" Ross yelled.

With some unexpected strength, Ross pushed Ash clean off his body and the boy fell onto May behind him. Ross reached toward his legs and pulled apart the string shot that bound his legs with one tug.

"Damn, you kids are amusing," Ross said, "Trying to find my blade, huh? Well I can show it to you if you're so eager."

He pulled out his blade from his pocket, and flipped it open as the knife shone in the light. Ash and May's faces were filled with fear as they helped each other to their feet.

"Hey, May, you should recognize this blade," Ross sneered.

"Wh-why?" May gasped.

Ross grinned. "I used it on your mother," he said.

"Y-you…." May gasped. She started to march forward angrily.

"May!" Ash gasped, holding her back.

Ross twirled the blade in his hand, happy to have the upper hand in the battle again. Pikachu and Beautifly stayed close to Ash and May, unsure if they should move in for another attack. The group stared, huddled close together.

"What's the matter? Too scared to attack?" Ross mocked.

He took a step closer as he prepared to lunge toward them. Fighting against a man with no weapons was one thing, but fighting against one with a blade was enough to shatter the heroism in anyone.

"I think I'll enjoy cutting you two…just a little bit," Ross snickered.

Suddenly, the air in the room became cold. So cold, that the temperature became chilly, and the realization that something was going on struck them. The winds became so strong that they felt like harsh icy air was being blown from the other side of the house.

They all turned and saw Max and Skitty standing together by the front of the Gym.

"Skitty, Blizzard full force, NOW!" Max cried.

"Nyaaaaa!" Skitty cried, blowing the icy attack at Ross.

"The hell?" Ross stammered as he was being blown off his feet. The winds became so strong and so consistent, that he was picked up off the floor and was slammed straight into the stove head first. His blade was dropped to the ground.

"Pikachu, get the weapon!" Ash cried.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, using Quick attack to dart toward the object. It picked up the open blade with its paws and quickly ran back toward its trainer.

Ash quickly took the blade out of Pikachu's hands and closed it shut. He was relieved that Ross didn't have a weapon now which made him far less a threat.

"Max!" May gasped, running toward her brother.

She grabbed him in her arms and hugged him tenderly. Max smiled and accepted the warmth of his sister.

"I…I thought we told you to wait outside," May said happily.

Max smiled. "You know I never listen to you," he said.

Ash watched the two siblings together, happy to see that Max came to their aid with Skitty when they least expected it. He then turned to Ross who was lying on the floor. He wasn't moving.

"Pikachu, stay cautious," Ash warned.

Pikachu nodded.

Ash slowly walked over to Ross and nudged him with his foot. The man didn't move. A few more moments passed, and Ash hesitantly turned the man over. He still didn't move an inch.

"He's…out cold," Ash said, surprised.

"Ash, what happened to him?" May asked.

"Skitty's attack must have blown him head-first into the stove, I think he's unconscious!" he said, astounded.

"Are…are you sure?" she asked, meekly.

"We're not taking any chances," Ash said, "I'm going to hold him down in case he wakes up, I need you to go find a rope so we can tie him to something before he wakes up!"

"I…I think Dad keeps that kind of stuff in the basement," Max said.

"You're…you're right," May replied, "I'll go get it! Max, come with me!"

"May!" he shouted.

May stopped in her tracks and looked over at him.

Ash smiled confidently. "We won," he said jubilantly.

She frowned and shook her head.

"Not yet," she told him, "Not until we find Mom."

"Yeah…you're right. Hurry up and get that rope so we can ask him later. If he won't answer to us, he'll definitely answer to the police," Ash said.

"Right," May said as she nodded.

_Thank god, _she thought, _Please let it be over. _

~*~*~~*~*

Norman stretched his body on the ground when he realized he was no longer in pain. He got up and checked his abdomen and his arms where he received the most injuries from being dragged down the street by Ross' motorcycle. The wounds were healed, closed up without a trace of ever being torn.

"Gardevoir," Gardevoir nodded.

"I…I've heard about Pokemon being able to heal injuries using Recover, but I never expected to witness it first hand, or rather, be an actual patient!" Norman said, astounded. He touched his face and was shocked that even the bruises when Ross knocked him out the night his wife was kidnapped were also healed. He didn't have any signs of injury or pain left in his body. "Amazing, simply amazing. Thank you, Gardevoir."

Slaking and Gardevoir stood next to Norman as he looked around the club for any signs of conflict. The entire club had a disturbing silence.

"Tana!" Norman yelled, "Did you find my wife?"

There was no response. Ross turned to Gardevoir frantically.

"Gardevoir, I need you to teleport me back to my Gym quickly! My children are in serious danger with Ross headed there, and I need to be there to save them!" Norman pleaded, "Slaking, I want you to stay here and go search for Tana, I want you to find out what's going on back there."

"Slaaaaking," Slaking roared.

Norman rested his hand on Gardevoir's body so they could teleport back to the house.

"Do you have enough energy to make the jump, Gardevoir?" Norman asked, "I know you need to search for energy signatures but you should already have May's. It should be easy to sense, and you only have one person to teleport back."

"Make that four people to teleport back," Brock called out.

Norman's eyes widened as he looked at the other end of the room. Tana was holding onto Brock for support as they walked together, and behind them stood the woman that he was trying to find, the woman that he loved; his wife.

"Ca-Caroline?" he stuttered.

Caroline smiled as she held the loosely fitting towel on her body. "It's me," she said softly.

"…thank god!" he cried.

Norman quickly ran toward his wife and grabbed her into his arms. He held her tightly as the two cried together, happy to be relieved that their pain was over and that they were reunited.

"Damn, I don't think I can truly say how happy it makes me to see you again," Norman cried, caressing her hair as he held her.

"I've…I've been through hell," Caroline admitted, "But I made a promise to be reunited with my family…and I'm glad I was able to keep it."

Their moment continued to last as Brock and Tana watched them cry out their regrets with one another.

"Tana, if you're wondering about the contract for the Pewter Gym, I was able to tear it to pieces," Brock said, "Ross may have gotten me to crack enough to sign my Gym away, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let him get away with it."

"Th-that's…good news," Tana said, still uneasy thanks to the electric shock, "Wh-ere was it?"

"The moron left it on the table in the room he kept me in. You would think the guy would put it in a safe place after finally getting me to sign it, but he just left it out in the open. In any case with that out of the way, I guess the Pewter Gym is still under the control of my family, just as it should be," Brock said.

"Gl-ad to hear it," Tana said, smiling.

"Want to know how I got myself and Caroline free from where we were being held?" Brock asked, "It's a long story, so perhaps it would be better to tell it when we're back with Ash and the others."

"THE KIDS!" Norman gasped.

"What's the matter?" Caroline asked unsurely.

"Ross is at our house!" Norman exclaimed, "Ash, May and Max are there, we need to get back there now!"

Caroline was frightened, the thought of Ross doing the same thing to her daughter that he did to her overwhelmed her completely.

"Quickly, everyone hold onto a part of Gardevoir's body," Norman instructed, pulling his wife with him as they walked to the Pokemon, "We can teleport right back to the house! Slaking, you hold on too!"

"Slaking," Slaking roared.

The group quickly held onto Gardevoir as the Pokemon summoned its strength to locate May's energy signature so it could teleport back quickly.

"Wh-what about Jamie?" Tana asked.

"Leave her be, I think she needs some time alone," Brock said.

"The children better be safe, they just have to be," Caroline prayed.

"We'll be back there momentarily, don't worry," Norman said, "We'll get rid of Ross for good and make sure he never harms our family again."

Caroline nodded.

_Yes, we have to get rid of him for good, _the mother thought, _I won't allow my daughter to be violated, I won't let her live her life in fear. He has to disappear…he has to die. _

In an instant, Norman, Caroline, Brock, Tana, Gardevoir and Slaking disappeared. Their teleportation left Jamie as the sole piece of life in the club, expelled from the comfort and the reunion of others. She was left to figure out herself and why she made the wrong choices, and hopefully become a better person in the future.

Although neither Tana or Brock knew it yet, this was the last time either of them would ever see Jamie. By the next day when the police did the investigation, they would be left with an unfortunate piece of news to give to Tana. She would return to the club alone to find out what happened to her friend herself, and would be shocked to find her lifeless body on the floor.

Jamie would have committed suicide by the next morning.

~*~*~*

Ash finished securing the thick rope around Ross' unconscious body. They had him strapped to a chair, with two pieces of rope bounding him to it. One piece of rope tied his legs together to the legs of the chair, while the other was wrapped around his chest and prevented him from getting up. The chair was loose from the floor however, so Ross was free to hop around with the chair stuck to him if he pleased, but of course that wouldn't happen with the man unconscious.

May and Max watched from the side as Ash finished strapping him down. Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief as it held onto to its trainers shoulder, the craziness had finally ended, hopefully for good. Beautifly and Skitty were returned to their Pokeballs, but not before being given lots of praise and love from May for helping her to take down the most hated man in her life.

May of course was also extremely proud of her little brother, who risked his well being to come to their aid when things looked grim. She tried playing back the scene in her mind of Ross about to lunge toward Ash and her with his blade, and she was horrified by the thought that either she or Ash would probably have gotten struck with the blade if Max and Skitty didn't intervene. Would they have been able to dodge the weapon in time otherwise? That was a question which would never be answered, but May was grateful nonetheless that she had a little brother that loved her dearly.

The group had searched Ross' pockets while he was unconscious to see if he concealed any other weapons, but all that they found was one Pokeball. Ash almost mistakenly released the Pokemon from its ball when May rushed over to him and placed her hands on top of his.

"Don't let it out!" May gasped, grabbing the ball from his hands. "It's his Sableye, I'm sure of it."

"His Sableye? You're right, it would be best not to let it out of its ball, it might try to set Ross free!" Ash exclaimed.

"Not only that but this thing is dangerous," May warned, staring at the Pokeball. "We definitely can't let it know what happened to its trainer, but, what do we do with it?"

"Why don't you just place it on the table next to Ross' knife?" Max suggested, "Leave the Pokeball there, I'm sure we can figure out what to do with it later."

"Good idea, Max, let's leave it be for now. We don't need anymore trouble on our hands," she said confidently, placing the ball on the kitchen table.

"I wonder why Ross never sent it out during our struggle, he could have used it to his advantage," Ash said.

"Maybe the scumbag was so sadistic that he wanted to enjoy stabbing us with his blade instead," she said emotionally.

Max looked down to the floor, shaken up by the reality of how dangerous the situation really was. Ash sighed, and walked over to the boy and placed his hand on his shoulders.

"We're safe now, Max," Ash said as he tried to comfort him.

May peered into Ross' unconscious face, even the sight of the man knocked out sent a wrong vibe down her spine. She then looked over at her brother, who was sniffling a little bit. Her choice of words shook up the boy more than he was before.

"We…We'll be ok, now?" Max asked, trembling.

"Yeah, I promise," Ash said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu added.

"O-ok," Max said, nodding.

Ash smiled and gave Max a quick hug. It was probably the first real hug Ash ever gave him, but he was happy to share it with the little boy who he cared for so much. May smiled affectionately at them.

"Are you going to call the police now?" Max asked, feeling slightly better.

Ash stared uncertainly at the man tied to the chair. He didn't know what to do next at all. The next course of action was a blank.

"This man is the only person who can tell us where our mother is," May said sternly, "He definitely won't listen to us if we ask him, but when the police take him away and interrogate him, he'll definitely spill the beans."

"Are you sure about this, May?" Ash asked, "Don't you want to wait until your father comes home first?"

"Ross could be conscious again by the time Dad comes home!" May exclaimed, "Ross is only tied to the chair, but the chair isn't bolted to the floor. If he wakes up, he'll try to get free by hopping around and I'm afraid we'll have a hard time stopping him again."

"Good point, so what do you want to do?" Ash asked.

"We'll call the police. They've been searching for Ross ever since Mom got kidnapped, they'll definitely be here quickly. The sad thing is we're probably going to have news reporters and media shoving questions in our faces once the guy is taken away," she moaned, "But I don't care at this point, as long as Mom comes home safely that is all that matters."

"Right!" Max added gleefully, "We'll find out where Mom is soon!"

"And don't forget about Brock too," Ash added, "It'll be kinda…like a family reunion or something."

"Heh, you have a way with words, Ash," she said smugly.

"Pikachupi, Pika!" Pikachu chortled.

May walked over to the phone hanging on the kitchen wall and took it off the receiver. Just as she was about to dial 911, a bright blue aura began to shine in the middle of the room. Ash and Max were shocked by the bright light, but May immediately recognized it.

"That has to be Gardevoir!" she shouted emotionally, dropping the phone to the ground. "That means that Dad and Tana are back!"

"Please let Mom be with them this time…" Max prayed.

Ash, Pikachu, May and Max stared at the bright light excitedly as six figures began to materialize in front of them. This time, it really was them. Norman and the others formed before their very eyes.

"M-om?" May gasped.

The mother nearly broke down in tears as her two children ran toward her beaten body and hugged her dearly. Emotions ran wild as joys and excitement filled the air, Norman and Tana succeeded in their mission in bringing back Caroline and Brock safely. Ash and Pikachu were overwhelmed with joy as they saw their best friend Brock and the mother back in the safety of their house.

Caroline was happy to be able to stroke the hair and skin of her children once again, and May finally had her wish granted. The family was reunited.

One question remained, however, and it was one that needed to be answered.

What were they going to do about Ross?


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

"Your mother needs to rest for a while."

"Just…just five more minutes, Dad, please?" she begged.

"Are you ok with that, Caroline?" he asked.

"Yes, yes," the mother said, "I'm exhausted but my children are the world to me, it is because of them that I promised myself to persevere and make it home alive. I'll remember to rest up, don't worry about it."

Norman opened the bedroom door and nodded. "Ok, I just don't want you stressing out your mother, she's been through a lot, but then again, so have you, May. I want you _both _to get a good nights sleep tonight so we can turn the page in this unfortunate chapter in our lives for good."

"We will," May said, cheerfully. "Thanks, Dad."

The father exited the bedroom and left the mother and daughter alone in the room. Caroline was wearing her dark maroon bathrobe while she rested under the covers of her bed. She was sitting upright with her head against the pillow and a cup of hot chocolate to keep her warm on the small table to the right.

The feeling of wearing her own apparel again and resting in the comfort of her own bed was almost bittersweet for the mother. After spending the previous night stripped of her clothing, chained to the wall in a dark and dirty room and resting on a plain mattress stained with her own blood, the mother felt overjoyed to actually be home again. Yet at the same time, she wished she never felt this feeling because it reminded her of the darkest time in her life when she was kidnapped against her will and sexually and physically abused.

It was nearly 2:00am, and even though she felt like falling asleep while sitting on the edge of the bed, May refused to get up and leave without making sure that her mother would be content and recover now that she was home. She missed her dearly, and broke down into tears several times as she confessed to her mother that she wouldn't know if she could survive in the world without her. Caroline would comfort her daughter like all mothers do, and reassure her that things could only get better from now on. She knew, however, that this was an emotional ordeal for her daughter and it was something that would stick with her for the rest of her life. Perhaps even, scar her for life.

"I love you, Mom," May said emotionally as she held her mothers hand, "I want you to rest and recover for as long as it takes, you…won't have to lift a finger around the house. I'll stay here with you for weeks…months even if I have to, and forget about my Contests just so I can be with you every step of the way."

Caroline smiled and squeezed her daughters hand passionately. "You're getting too emotional again, dear, you know I'll be well again much sooner than that. I don't want you to break down into tears a fifth time now, so please, everything will be just like it used to in another couple of days."

May forced out a chuckle. "O-ok, Mom, I'll try," she said happily.

"Remember that I'm proud of you, May, extremely proud. I know this has taken a toll on yourself but you've managed to handle it very maturely for someone your age. I know if this ever happened to _my _mother, I wouldn't be able to cope," Caroline said. She picked up her jug of hot chocolate and sipped from the cup. "You're my brave and special little daughter, I hope you're aware of that."

May nodded confidently.

"You've even managed to work together with Ash and your brother to take down a dangerous and violent criminal, that was astounding. The fact that Ross is sitting unconscious and tied to a chair outside in the living room reassures me greatly. Part of me wants to worry my little head off for the danger you, Max and Ash were put in when Ross came into our house, but the other part of me is just happy that you all made it out unscathed and that worthless piece of trash was taken down. I don't know what I might have done if Ross laid a finger on you or your brother."

May frowned and faced the floor. She hesitated for a few moments, and then asked her mother something that was bothering her.

"Ross told me that he raped you, was that true?" she asked meekly.

Caroline didn't want to answer. She kept silent for nearly five minutes, as May sat there patiently waiting for a response. Even though May already knew it was true, especially since her mother came home wearing nothing but a dirty towel and none of her clothes, she wanted to hear it from her mother herself.

Finally, after a long silence, the mother replied.

"Yes, it's true. I was taken advantage of," Caroline admitted.

May's eyes began to water as she fidgeted with her hands, it was a hard truth to accept. Hearing it from her mother herself was the most upsetting aspect of it all. It was a horrible feeling that anyone could do such a thing to her precious mother.

"May, hold back your tears. You promised, remember?" Caroline asked.

"I…I…know," May sniffed, wiping her face emotionally. "But…it's just…so horrible!"

"Which is why I don't want your brother knowing," Caroline said sternly, "It was harsh enough for him to know I was kidnapped, but I don't want him to know what I really went through. I've told this to your father as well, I don't want Max to be hurt by this anymore than he has to."

"Of course," May said, struggling to get a hold of herself, "I definitely won't say anything about this to Max, I…don't want him to put him through the same pain I'm going through. It's very sad."

"Indeed, I had wished you didn't find out about this either, it would have been easier for you to move on," Caroline sighed.

"But you're ok now, right? I mean, nothing bad will happen to you or anything because of what he did, right?" May asked quickly.

"Hopefully nothing will happen. Hopefully all my wounds and bruises will heal as quickly as possible too. Hopefully I'll be the mother you remember in less than a week," Caroline said reassuringly, "I don't want you worrying more about me than you should. As your mother, I'm _telling _you that I'll be alright. You don't have to cry for me at night."

May took a deep breath and acknowledged her mothers words. It was the truth, she had to move on and not dwell on the depressing tale of what her mother was subjected to. It would be the only and best way for the entire family to put this behind them.

"It's very late, I want you to head to bed now too," Caroline said, looking over at the digital clock on her dresser. "I'm sure Ash is wondering if you're ok as well. You should go be with him now."

May smiled and got up from the bed. "Thanks, Mom, I know Ash is worried about me too. Um…Dad is going to be with you when you sleep tonight, right?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"Because I don't want you to be alone for the night. With Dad by your side, I'll feel a bit better when I go to sleep tonight in my room across the hall. I wouldn't want you to be by your lonesome when you just got home."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Caroline said. She took another sip of her hot chocolate and leaned down in her bed. "It really is refreshing to sleep in your own bed again, you should do it as well."

"Ok," May said happily, "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too. Get some rest," she replied.

May opened the door and took once last look at her tired mother and then calmly shut the door behind her. She stood next to the closed door and sighed as she looked over the railing of the second floor.

Downstairs, Brock and Tana were huddled together on the couch with a long blanket which covered their bodies and went down to the floor. Tana was already sound asleep with her head leaning on his shoulder and had the most content smile on her face that May ever saw her muster. Her red hair was frazzled but she had mostly recovered from the electric shock Jamie delivered to her earlier in the night. May tried peering at Brock to see if he was still awake or not, but with his eyes she could never tell the difference anyway. It mattered not, they were content and peaceful together, and she was happy to see them back together again.

Brock's regular clothes were filthy and torn after being shackled up by Ross, so after the group got settled down at the Gym, Norman offered Brock some spare clothes that he could wear in the meantime. Brock of course agreed, and tossed his old clothes in the garbage and gladly accepted a white T-shirt and a pair of blue sweatpants from Norman. Her father was a bit taller than Brock, but the extra t-shirt and sweatpants looked like they fit him anyway. At the very least, he had some fresh clean clothes to sleep in tonight and for the foreseeable future.

May wasn't sure where Gardevoir went, but she figured that the Psychic Pokemon was still in the house somewhere. The Pokemon did belong to Professor Latrommi and had jobs at the various Pokemon Center's to heal injured patients, but it staying with them at the Gym for the night would be reasonable considering everything that's happened. She also wanted to personally thank Gardevoir for everything its done for them, it was a tremendous help in getting them to locate Ross and in turn made the rescue mission of Brock and Caroline a success. May didn't want to walk down the steps in some uncertainty that she would wake up Brock or Tana, but she still tried looking over the railing as best she could to see if Gardevoir was still around. She did. finally, spot some blue aura from the corner of her eye as she stepped down the first step. It appeared that Gardevoir was meditating in mid-air against the wall by the front door. She smiled contently, Gardevoir was a really beautiful Pokemon and it looked majestic even while meditating with its eyes closed. She was glad that Gardevoir was sticking around for the night, it meant a lot to her.

Slaking returned to the greenhouse to tell its tale of stopping some men in black with taser weapons, and Slakoth and Vigoroth were mesmerized by its tale of action and suspense.

May walked along the hallway and yawned, her tiredness was finally creeping up on her and she was exhausted after everything that happened during the night. Her father was probably downstairs somewhere at the moment, but she figured she might as well get to bed because she promised him to only stay with her mother for five more minutes.

She walked to her bedroom door and slowly pushed it open. The lights were out and all the occupants of the room were asleep. Ash, Pikachu and Max were all sleeping in the same bed together with their heads turned toward each other. They had promised to sleep in the same room together, even though her family returned, but she didn't expect them to all sleep in the same bed together. Nevertheless, she was happy to see Ash and Pikachu take such good care of her little brother in such depressing times. It was obvious by the way the two boys were facing each other that Ash decided to sleep next to him to comfort him after the events of the night. Max didn't stop clinging to his mother when they were transported home earlier, and the little boy was as ever much eager as his sister was to spend as much time with their newly returned mother as possible. However his younger age conked him out faster than his sister, so Ash offered to stay with him for the night while she stayed up longer with her Mom. They would have the whole following day to be with each other regardless, and everyone needed a good nights rest to recharge.

May took off her bandana and slid it on top of her dresser. Before she went to sleep in Ash's sleeping bag which was on the floor, she walked over to the bed to kiss both boys goodnight before she went to sleep.

"Goodnight, Max," she whispered as she softly kissed her brother on the forehead. His head slid up on the pillow with childlike innocence which made her chortle.

She then turned to Ash and gave him a goodnight kiss too, only this time she kissed him on the cheek rather than on the head like her brother.

"Night, Ash. Thank you for being such a wonderful and kind friend to my brother. I'll always remember that," she whispered, pressing her lips softly against his skin.

Ash's face seemed to respond positively upon the kiss, and May brushed her hand through his dark hair gently before she stepped away.

And last but not least, she even bent down to Pikachu and gave him a quick peck on the head too!

"Heehee, I didn't forget you either, Pikachu," she chuckled.

"Piiiiiiikaaaaa," Pikachu muttered in its sleep, burying its face in the pillow.

She clasped her hands as she stared at the three sleeping together, she really did love them all.

A few moments later, she slid herself down into the sleeping bag and started to doze off to slumber land. Tomorrow would be another big day, it would be the first full day where everyone was reunited and happy together again. The madness was finally over, and peaceful times would surely rise with the next morning.

That is, of course, assuming that the family still had any idea what they were going to do with Ross, who was still tied to the chair downstairs in the house. Nobody bothered to call the police during the night, but Ross was placed downstairs in the basement where Norman tied another round of thick rope around his body to make sure he was secure and wouldn't be able to move when he woke up again. At any rate, they had Ross locked down pretty tight, and Gardevoir was apparently on guard duty as it meditated by the front door of the house.

No way was Ross going to get away, but of course, that wouldn't matter much in the end anyway. Half of the people in the Petalburg Gym wanted Ross dead, but would any of them go against the law and take vengeance into their own hand? That remained to be seen, or at least, until the next morning…

~*~*~*~*

He sat in the dark room alone, bound to the chair. He struggled to move his arms, but they wouldn't move. He struggled to move his legs, but they wouldn't move. He struggled to move his face, which moved, but that didn't do him much good. The room was pitch black, the windows covered by curtains, and the man couldn't see a thing in any which direction. It was just dark, damp and silent. He would have probably yelled and demanded to be let free, but he couldn't do that either. After all, he had a handkerchief tied around his mouth.

He had been kept there overnight, tied against his will to a chair in the basement, his ego and violent thoughts of revenge consuming him over the night. He wanted to get free, desperately, and if given the chance, he would have murdered as many people in the house as he possibly could. He didn't care about ethics, or what his original plan was, he was enraged that he was wound up in such a predicament, especially after having the ace in his sleeve all along.

The basement door cracked open, which instantly got Ross' attention. Light poured into the room from upstairs, just a tad, but enough for him to make out the figure that was coming down the stairs. It was a familiar female figure, and he had studied it well; it was Caroline, the woman he kidnapped.

The basement door was shut, and the room grew dark once again. The darkness didn't last however, as Caroline turned on the lights which caused Ross to close his eyes awkwardly until he adjusted to the bright light after being in the dark for so long. Once he was able to open his eyes again, the woman spoke.

"I see you're awake now, but that should have been a given, it's not like you were put into a coma," Caroline said.

The woman was dressed in her bathrobe, her hair still messy, it was easily apparent that she had just woken up herself not too long ago. She woke up to see the man who tortured her, alone, for a reason yet to be revealed.

Ross tried yelling something as loud as he could but his voice was muffled underneath the handkerchief. He was shocked to find out that Caroline managed to get free of where she was being held, but quickly came to the realization that her family must have rescued her. The acknowledgement that this probably meant that Norman managed to take care of his accomplices at the club frustrated him greatly.

"I didn't expect that to be your opening line," she said, staring at the man with much contempt. "But either way, I'm glad to see you remember me."

Caroline put a bizarre smile on her face as she began to pace the floor with her arms crossed in front of Ross. The man watched her curiously, just why did she come down here?

"This was a funny turn of events, don't you think?" she asked, speaking as she walked. "You came all the way here to my house, on your motorcycle, to do some abdominal atrocities to my children. Things didn't seem to play out exactly to your plan however, as you know, you wound up tied up in our basement instead of doing what you originally intended."

Ross stared at her curiously, he wanted desperately to say something but he was unable to do so. He could only sit in his chair, silently, as the woman he kidnapped spoke in a very jarring manner.

"In a way, I suppose things worked out for the best. Not for me, of course," she chuckled, "But for my children, at least. They were able to make it through this relatively unharmed, and that satisfies me greatly. Of course, I can't neglect to mention that I'm standing here back in my own house, alive and well."

Ross stared.

"Brock was also able to get free, and he's here too. I bet you're awful bummed about that too, right?" Caroline sneered. "When you chained Brock and me in the same room together near the alleyway, we were able to conspire with each other on a way to break free. You stupidly left one of your blades on the table in front of us, and after Brock tried painstakingly for hours to kick the leg of the table by stretching with all his might, he was finally able to knock it down on its side. The frustrating part came when he struggled to use the blade to cut the chains, but he was able to succeed after an hour or so. After he was mobile again, he simply found your keys on the rack to rid the chain off his arm as well as get me free. The first thing he did otherwise was tear apart the contract for the Pewter Gym that you made him sign, and then he made sure to find me a towel, albeit a filthy one, but one I could wear so I didn't have to walk around naked. He's a very resourceful guy, that Brock, it's no wonder Ash values him as such a close friend. In any case, this shouldn't come as much of a shock, but my husband and Tana were successful in rescuing us. It's a pity too, you went through all that trouble of kidnapping me for no reason then. Well, I suppose you _did _get your kicks when you "handled" me, but was the payoff really worth it in the end?"

Ross again tried to speak best he could, but his voice was muffled. He tried rocking in his seat as well, he had no desire to hear this woman mocking him as she paced back and forth.

Caroline turned toward him and watched him try to get free, he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to get out of his seat and ring her neck. She shook her head amusingly.

"You're tied down pretty securely, so you're wasting your time. You look rather frustrated though, is what I'm saying really hurting your feelings? If I didn't know better, I'd almost say you look like I'm putting you through _torture, _but of course, the torturer never becomes the tortured, right?" she asked convincingly.

He stopped rocking his chair, the tone in her voice became unnerving. It was a different world now, one where he was unable to move and locked up in a dark and quiet room, while she was the one with the upper hand, scheming various thoughts in her mind. The reverse situation was apparent enough, but she was a _mother, _what could she possibly gain from coming here?

"Heh, it almost looked like you got a little nervous there," she said, "I wouldn't blame you, it's very early in the morning, around 5:30a.m. actually, and I came down here to see you all by myself for some unknown reason. The rest of my family is all asleep and none of them are aware that I'm down here talking to you. I guess you can say that after all the trouble you went to in coming over to my house last night, that I couldn't possibly let your travel be a waste. You came to see my kids, and you had something very important to show them. You recall what I'm talking about?"

Caroline reached into the pocket of her bathrobe and pulled out a familiar item. Ross' eyes lit up when he saw the object, it was his knife.

"I bet this looks familiar to you," Caroline said, waving his knife before him. "That's right, this was the knife you had on you when you came to my house. My daughter said that you pulled this out and was about to use it against her and Ash, that's pretty frightening. To use something such as this against little children, my word, you must be insane."

She looked at the sharp blade in her hand, running her finger along the edge of the top. The four inch blade was pretty dangerous, and it had seen its fair share of use overtime.

"This blade should also look familiar to you for another reason. Not only was this the weapon you were going to attack my family with, but it's also the blade you used on me, remember?" she asked.

He was perplexed, yet he knew her motive was becoming clear. Would she do it?

Caroline loosened her bathrobe and showed him the various incisions and cuts on her body. Slashes from the blade were visible over her stomach, arms, and chest. She was mutilated painfully by the very same knife she held in her hand at the moment. Ross stared at her naked flesh, remembering the night he spent with her.

"When you tortured me, you sure didn't hold back in taking a little slash here and there with your blade," she said angrily, "You used your weapons maliciously on me, and the pain I had to endure was almost unbearable. You're cruel and sadistic, and the marks my body have is proof of the amount of hell you put me through."

She tied her bathrobe back securely on her body, turning away in disgust as she wiped a tear out of her eye.

"My…children had to also go through hell because of you," she cried, her voice intensifying, "Did you even bother to think of the amount of effect it would have on my children if they lost their mother? I had a conversation with my daughter about this, and I can see the look on her eyes when she speaks with me. She still seems absolutely petrified, and always has a hint of fear and worry in her voice when she speaks to me. I can tell that she's still frightened, and I do my best to console her and calm her down, but I know it isn't enough. I know that because of _you, _my daughter is scarred for life."

Ross shook his head as he began to laugh under his handkerchief. He couldn't care less about what the woman was talking about. Caroline watched him laugh as her hands wrapped firmly around the blade. She quickly walked over to him and snatched the handkerchief off his mouth.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Caroline asked sternly, dropping the handkerchief to the floor.

Ross took a breath of fresh air, it was certainly satisfying after spending the night with his mouth confined. He licked his lips and spit to the side before speaking.

"…what would you have me say?" Ross asked, chortling. "I ruined your family, and that was my intention I had to get back at your husband. What else can I say?"

"You can apologize."

"You can't be serious," he laughed. "If I had it my way, I would have done the same thing with your daughter as I did with you. She's fresh meat and I would have loved to see the look on Norman's face after he found out the pain I put his daughter through."

She shook her head. "You're a sick, sad and twisted man. You'll deserve everything that's coming to you."

Ross laughed again. "And what's that, exactly? What's the worst that can happen to me? You call the cops and I end up in the slammer for a few years, big deal. I know that I lost, I'm not going to cry over it. If you think I'm going to see the error of my ways as I'm sitting in prison walls, I must have screwed with you more than I thought. You've gone nuts yourself."

Caroline turned from him and held the blade by her side. The man was truly filled with no sorrow, or regrets or remorse. He enjoyed inflicting pain upon her family as well as her friends, and even though he was defeated, he was content with what happened.

"You have no regrets," Caroline muttered.

She stood almost ominously with her back turned toward him.

"No regrets," Ross mused, "Things may not have worked the way I wanted them to, but I still got a good kick out of all of it. I had my fun, and that was all that mattered in the end. I would have preferred to take another stab at your daughter though, that bitch took me down twice! She's a brave little girl, I'll give you that, not to mention sweet and innocent, just like I like 'em."

Caroline turned toward him hastily and lowered her face right above his. She stared into the eyes of the man she hated one last time before she made her move.

"I can't let this go on," Caroline whispered, "You changed my life and almost destroyed my entire family, it's time I returned the favor and changed _your _life as well."

He chuckled. "Call the cops and get it over with already. I'm done playing games with you," Ross said.

She smiled bizarrely.

"So am I," she whispered.

She pulled back her arm and suddenly thrust the blade into his chest. Ross gaped in shock as the sharp pain coursed throughout his entire body, blood gushing out of his chest and dripping down his shirt. She twisted the handle on the blade a number of times to make sure she impaled him good and painfully before he died. Blood spilled out of his mouth as he tried to speak.

"…nice…" he gasped.

His face was jovial as the last few seconds of life remained in his body. His clothes were completely drenched with blood, and Caroline stared him in the face as she waited for him to croak. She was still holding the handle of the blade as blood stained her hands, and she forcefully shoved it deeper inside him a few more times to make sure he was really through.

Seconds later, the man was dead.

She stared at the now silent man strapped to the chair, the man she killed in cold blood. She pierced him through the chest and delivered the final blow to the villain who caused her and her family so much pain. He was gone, gone for good.

She slowly let go of the bloody handle and waved her hand to get the red off her skin. She stood up and walked to a box of tissues on a table across from him and wiped the blood off contently. Upon placing the tissue aside, she felt content.

"I have no regrets either," she said, staring at the impaled man on the chair, "None at all."

The basement door handle suddenly sounded like it was opening, which caught Caroline off guard as it seemed like someone was coming downstairs! The door was pushed open and Caroline watched as her husband walked down the stairs. He quickly noticed his wife.

"What are you doing down here? The man is dangerous!" Norman scolded.

She shook her head.

"Not anymore," she said softly, pointing toward Ross.

Norman looked over at Ross and was shocked to see a blade through his chest. Ross' head was down and the blood drenched his entire body. There was also a pool of blood underneath the chair. It was noticeable that Ross didn't just die, he died _painfully. _

He quickly turned to his wife and almost rattled her in his arms. "What have you done?!" he panicked, "You actually _killed _him?!"

Caroline pushed away from her husband's grip and nodded. "It had to be done," she said simply.

"I…I hated this man too after everything he did to me, not to mention _you, _and everyone else, but this was…uncalled for!" Norman shouted.

"Think about our kids, I didn't want them to live in fear with the knowledge that Ross was still alive somewhere, merely locked up in a cell," Caroline argued, "In order to save our family, he needed to die. I slain him by my own hands, I have no regrets."

Norman pushed his hand over his face nervously as he tried to size up the situation. He still couldn't even grasp the fact that his wife committed murder, even though he felt the hate for the man just as strong as she did. It was definitely shocking.

Caroline walked over to her husband and placed her hand on his shoulder. She comforted him gently as he saw the sorrow in her face. He had almost forgotten for the moment that his wife was raped and abused by the very same man who sat dead before him.

Ten minutes passed, and Norman and Caroline were still standing in the basement trying to reconcile over what happened.

"How are we going to explain this to the kids?" Norman asked.

Caroline hesitated. "I'm not sure," she said.

"Or the police, rather? They're more than eager to finally close this case up, but I believe they would have rather locked him up alive than dead," Norman said.

"I could claim it was in self defense," she pondered.

"He's tied to a chair and can't move his arms or legs, how can you claim self defense?" Norman argued.

"_We _know he's tied to a chair, but the police don't have to," she said. She quickly got an idea, and looked at her husband as a plot was brewing in her mind. "You can untie his body and place him on the ground, it would be like he tried to assault us, which isn't too far from the truth, it was just with Ash and May in our place last night."

"Insane, simply insane," Norman said, "I'll do it, but God help us if this somehow backfires on us. Either way, I'm sure the police will be happy to know that this kidnapping was put to a close and the man responsible for it is right here."

Norman walked over to Ross and started to untie the ropes around his body, Caroline watched while leaning against the stairway.

"Hopefully now his curse on our family will finally be over," Caroline said.

While she didn't know it yet, that line couldn't have been further from the truth.

~*~*~*~

They couldn't believe it. The shock that Ross was dead stunned everyone in the house. Norman and Caroline managed to pull such a convincing story and straight faces that nobody doubted their story, not even the police.

The Petalburg Gym was swamped with police, examining every area of the house. They found Ross' body in the basement as Norman explained to them about the kidnapping and how his wife was forced to impale the man to save her life. His body was picked up and put in a body bag as an investigator examined the scene and asked the married couple many questions. Caroline purposely allowed the injuries on her body to remain, rather than letting Gardevoir heal them like it did with her husband, so the police would have some hard evidence of what she really went through.

As the hours passed and the media began to approach the Gym, it became apparent that the place was getting a little too crowded for its own good. Thanks to Norman persuading the police, the children were allowed to leave the Gym and were instructed to kill some time in the city while the investigation wrapped up.

Ash, May, Max, Brock and Tana went together to the heart of Petalburg and explored the familiar scenery and landmarks of the famous city. No matter how much they tried to enjoy themselves, all of their thoughts dwelled on the death of Ross back at the Gym.

Tana was stunned. She wanted to kill Ross herself, she had a handgun she brought with her to the club and was ready to pull the trigger. If it weren't for Norman disarming her before they entered, she probably would have done him in there and then. Looking back, Tana was somewhat relieved that Norman stepped in. The sight of Ross' lifeless body on the ground in a pool of blood overwhelmed her a great deal. She was now grateful that she didn't have that blood on her hands, yet she was also a bit conflicted as she was _happy _that the man was gone for good. The goal in the end was what mattered, and with Brock by her side ready to put the past behind them, she was pleased to know they could get on with their lives and hopefully continue their relationship.

Brock however, was quite concerned. Not about Ross' death or his relationship with Tana, but about Ash, May and Max. This was the first time that the reality of death ever consumed them. He had traveled with Ash for years and with the siblings for almost as long, and he wanted to make sure that this experience didn't have any detrimental affects on their well being. They had already been put through the experience of having their mother kidnapped which was already quite devastating, yet this was another lump to add to the pile of the darker sides of life. He promised himself that he would spend as much time discussing this with his friends as possible, and would make sure that they would be able to comprehend what actually happened.

Ash, May and Max never got to see the body. Norman and Caroline forbid them completely. Only Brock and Tana were allowed to see Ross on the ground, but the parents deemed it was far too inappropriate for the others to see. Brock knew this was right, and was pleased that the parents made such a wise decision.

As the day wore on, secrets were revealed and bonding moments were aplenty. Ash and May revealed that they were a couple to Brock and Tana, and that they would continue to travel together winning badges and ribbons for as long as they wanted to. Brock congratulated the pair and was taken back that Ash _finally _noticed what girls were about. He almost contemplated giving Ash advice about what to do with May, but then he stopped himself as it would be far too awkward since he was May's good friend as well. All in all, he couldn't have been more pleased with their decision. Tana winked at them and said she had a feeling something was going on between them anyway, especially after they spent so much time with each other back on Atona beach.

May spent the day cheering up her brother and how they would spend more time with their mother after the police were gone, and Max did the same with his sister. They talked about the hopes and wishes for the future of their family, and how they would appreciate having a loving mother and father far more than they ever did before.

Ash and Brock hung out with each other in the afternoon, spending a great deal of time talking about their past together and discussed the seriousness of the events of the past week. It was a lot for Ash to take in, after all, he had never really discussed what actually happened to the family that extensively. Brock put his hand on his shoulder to ease Ash's conscience, and calmly explain how to deal with this in a rational manner. The two lifelong friends sat on a bench in the park, admiring the Magikarp carved fountain in front of them. Ash leaned forward and looked troubled.

"I gave my mother a call in Pallet before we left the Gym today," Ash said, "She was happy to hear from me, its been a while since we last spoke."

Brock turned to him sympathetically. "You called her to see if she was ok, I'm sure. I called up the Pewter Gym too last night, just to let my family know I was doing well. After all the turmoil that affected May and Max's family, it's reassuring to know that ours are doing fine."

"That is the reason I called my Mom, I'm really going to keep in touch with her more often. I feel a bit guilty now going long stretches without calling her, I never know how she's doing back home. I just needed to hear her voice again, you know?"

"Heh, I understand the feeling, Ash," Brock said, "Considering I nearly lost control of the Pewter Gym to Ross, it sure was emotionally satisfying to know that my parents and all my siblings back home still have a roof over their heads. If Ross really got away with the contract, I don't know how my family would be able to take it. The Gym's been in my family for generations, and it would be unbearable for them to lose it."

Ash nodded and put his hands behind his head. He stared at the fountain water and smiled.

"Our families are safe and sound, and they know how much we care for them," Ash said, "Isn't this the stuff you usually take for granted?"

"Yep, not everyone has a loving family in life, but we're lucky enough to have been raised by one," Brock noted, "May and Max were raised extremely well, their family should return to their daily routines in the coming months. They won't take the love of their mother for granted at all from now on, not in the slightest."

Ash knew that Brock was right, he never did realize how well off he was to receive so many friends and have such a wonderful mother. He had family back home that wished him the best, a number of Pokemon and friends by his side that cheered him on, and a girl that loved him dearly, May. Ash thought of her as he sat on the bench, promising himself that he would support her anyway he could to help her move on from the events of the past week. He suddenly grew very concerned.

"Where do we go from here, Brock?" Ash asked, uncertainly.

Brock sighed. "That's hard to say, we all have different paths in life and we may end up going our separate ways again. I'm not sure what Tana wants to do after this, but I would like to make a trip to the Pewter Gym and see my family again in person. I'd like to introduce Tana to them as well."

Ash leaned forward with his arms on his knees, looking troubled. "So you have your next moves all planned out already, huh? I'm…I'm not sure if I can say the same for myself."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Ash!" Brock said, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder. "You'll help May and Max get back on their feet in no time, and it's not like these things happen automatically, it'll take a lot of support and effort. I certainly was hurt by the fact that Jamie turned on us, but I was able to make the best of the situation, and because of it, Tana and I are still alive and well and ready to continue our relationship. No matter what happens, Ash, and no matter what road you take, I'll always be there for you."

Ash looked at his friend and smiled. "Thanks, Brock, thanks a lot!"

"Not a problem. I'll make sure you guys pull through, especially May and Max. I didn't keep your stomach full of food for the last couple of years for nothing!" Brock joked.

"Heh, do you think you can cook a meal for everyone at the Petalburg Gym for dinner? I think we would all feel better after we eat some of your cooking!" Ash said excitedly.

"I'll be delighted, that's for sure. It'll definitely help everything feel like normal again back at the Petalburg Gym," Brock said, scratching his chin.

"And do you think you can make all the side dishes too, that way it can be more like a buffet with lots of extra dishes to the main meal!" Ash gushed.

"Ash, you're slobbering over food again. I guess I can tell that you're reverting back to your old self," Brock mused.

Ash put his hand behind his head sheepishly. "Heh, well that's because I'm just getting so excited about eating your cooking again! Its been a long time, it really has."

"Since we're outside, want to come with me to a couple of places to pick up the ingredients? There's a lot of good supermarkets in Petalburg, we'll be able to pick up a lot of good stuff here. Of course, it would be better if we found May, Max and Tana first," Brock said.

"I think May and Tana said they went to the clothing stores together, I bet Max is awfully bored walking around with them now," Ash mused, "But then again, maybe not. Those two really stuck close to each other all day talking and discussing stuff, they didn't even bicker with each other at all. I think I'll give May a lot of time alone with her family for the next couple of weeks, she certainly deserves it. So, wanna get going, Brock?"

Brock chuckled. "Yeah, let's go find them. We have to keep the story moving along at any rate."

*~*~*~*~*

"What happened to Sableye?" Ash asked.

"The police confiscated Sableye's Pokeball. Since it was Ross' Pokemon which also sunk its teeth into Caroline's leg, it's definitely going to be held responsible for some of the stuff that happened," Kenny said, who was sweeping the floors with a broom as he walked. "I'm not sure how the police handle Pokemon that assisted in a kidnapping plot, but I think its going to have to learn how to deal with its master being dead as well."

"That doesn't surprise me that the police have it," Ash sighed, "Still, it makes me wonder if Sableye could have been a good Pokemon, and was only twisted by Ross to do his dirty work. It's a real shame when Pokemon become cruel only because the trainer is cruel."

"True. That's not a problem for you, Ash, right?" Kenny winked, "You and Pikachu could never be cruel."

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu cooed, resting on Ash's shoulder.

"Nah, Pikachu and I definitely could never change," Ash said happily, turning to his Pokemon, "Hopefully Sableye finds a new trainer in the future and is able to put its past behind it and redeem itself. I don't think Sableye would be such a cruel Pokemon anymore if it had a caring person as its trainer."

"You believe people and Pokemon should get a second chance, and I believe that's true to an extent, as long as they aren't incredibly evil people like Ross. I still can't believe I missed the entire thing," Kenny sulked, "This is something I'll regret for the rest of my life, not being there when Norman and his family needed me the most. As a Gym leader's assistant and Norman's good friend, it bothers me a lot."

Ash understood what the young man was saying, and even though he wanted to comfort him, he knew it wouldn't be of much use. Kenny would blame himself regardless, even though he wasn't working for the Gym the days the incident happened, because he had a strong sense of loyalty to the Gym, just like Max did.

Ash remembered that he turned down Norman's offer to take over the Petalburg Gym in the future, and still thought of the idea of Max taking it over when he gets older. He pondered if Max would have second thoughts of becoming a Gym leader now after knowing that not all trainers who come to win a badge are decent people, but hoped that this wouldn't scare him away from Gym leader life either. Brock mentioned that the Pewter Gym was in his family for generations, and he realized just how important a Gym is to a families honor in the first place. Max would be the best person for the position, and would probably receive the same amount of prestige and popularity as the Petalburg Gym leader as Norman had.

Norman hung up the phone on the receiver and walked over to Ash and Kenny. "I just got off the phone with Professor Latrommi, he received Gardevoir back through the Pokeball transfer system," Norman said, "I told him that Gardevoir was fantastic during the search for my wife and he said he was more than happy to help me out again in the future if I need him."

"Professor Latrommi may be a little screwy, but he sure means well," Ash said, jovially, "I'm really glad he turned out to be such a great friend after all this time, I'll never forget what it was like when May and I first met him. We had one crazy adventure."

"Latrommi was always a pervert, but I dunno…I kinda liked him," May said, walking over to the three males, "His inventions got us in all sorts of trouble, but it all worked out in the end anyway."

Norman turned to his daughter and asked her if her mother was doing well, and May said she was resting contently on the armchair while waiting for Brock to finish serving the food on the table. Everyone was present at the Gym aside from Tana, who went with the police alone back to the club for one uneasy revelation.

"Dinners ready!" Brock called out from across the room.

"Oh boy, I can't wait to eat!" Ash said excitedly.

"Me too!" May squealed. She ran over to him and grabbed his arm. "C'mon, Ash, let's hurry up!"

"OK!" he exclaimed.

Ash and May quickly ran to the table together to enjoy some of Brock's cooking. Max sat next his sister contently as his mother sat at the head of the table. The food looked delicious and it was easily apparent that Brock would never lose his talent as a cook.

"Are you feeling well enough to eat?" May asked her mother.

Caroline nodded and picked up a fork. "Sure, the food looks wonderful too. Max, make sure you eat a lot, ok?"

Max giggled. "Assuming Ash and May don't devour all the dishes first, I _should _be able to at least have a few crumbs tonight."

"Hey, we're not going to eat up _everything!"_ Ash bantered.

"Yeah, we're just going to eat up _almost _everything!" May squealed.

Ash chortled and started helping himself to the dishes on the table. May was already chomping down on her ramen and slurping up the noodles delightfully.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

"You guys never change," Max said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll be more than happy to make seconds if you like," Brock offered.

"At the rate we're going, you might as well get started," Caroline suggested.

"Make sure you make more ramen, I love the stuff!" May exclaimed.

"Alright," Brock said, turning to the kitchen, "More ramen, coming up!"

Norman and Kenny watched the family at the table as they ate their dinner. Caroline looked over at her husband and gave him the signal that he should hurry up and join them at the table.

"Things seem like they're going back to normal, don't they?" Kenny asked.

Norman nodded.

"They do," he replied, "Just like things should go."

Norman motioned with his hand for Kenny to join him at the table, and the two went off to join Ash, Pikachu, May, Max, Brock and Caroline for the most pleasant evening they had together in a long, long time.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

The sun was in full force as yet another scorching day befell Petalburg City. The temperature was 90 degrees while the humidity made it feel like over 100. The air was hot and sticky, making it quite unpleasant to be outside. Many people wore as little clothing as possible as they hurried to their destination under the scorching sun. Privately owned shops closed up early just so the owners could get home and relax after being drenched all day, and even the wild Pokemon of the town gathered in Petalburg Square where they could cool off in the large and majestic Magikarp fountain. Trainers gathered to watch the Pokemon cool themselves off in the water, but they didn't try to capture them, they knew the Pokemon were just as exhausted as they were, and weren't in the mood for battles.

It was definitely one of the hottest days of the year, one in which many travelers stayed indoors and relaxed under the enjoyment of air conditioning and indoor swimming pools. Nobody was outside in this desert heat unless they had to be, nobody would stand in the blistering and humid weather for no reason, nobody could stand the discomfort, well, nobody with a head on their shoulders at any rate.

Of course, that didn't stop Ash Ketchum. The uncomfortable weather was merely an afterthought to the young man, who stood confidently in the sea of grass on the west side of the Petalburg Gym. He stood alone, however, as Pikachu was much more content to remain indoors than to join its trainer under the sun. It had a thick yellow coat of fur, one in which absorbed the heat far too quickly for the little Pokemon to tolerate being outside for longer than a short duration. While Ash did stand in the heat, he wasn't crazy, either. He wore only his black t-shirt and sweatpants, the rest of his apparel such as his gloves, sweatshirt, and even his new hat with the Pikachu silhouette remained inside the Gym. He could tolerate the heat with less clothes, but something was bothering the young trainer.

He looked up at the bright blue sky as the clouds drifted above him, and then at the sea of grass which was wading in the wind. He watched a flock of Pidgey slowly rise up from the streets of Petalburg and then into the air, spreading their wings and soaring across the horizon. As the bird Pokemon disappeared in the distance, Ash knew why he felt troubled.

He was cooped up in the Petalburg Gym for too long.

He sighed as the sweat dripped down his forehead, but he didn't mind, he missed the open air and the sense of adventure for far too long. He felt far more content to spend a couple of hours outside, even in the heat, than to remain indoors constantly like the others. The boy was restless, understandably, as he remained with May and her family at the Petalburg Gym for longer than he expected.

Three months had passed since the day when Ross' lifeless body was carried out in a body bag by the police. The entire investigation was carried out without any problems, and the case was closed on Caroline's kidnapping. Norman and his wife were able to tell a convincing story about Ross' death, and the police never suspected that they were being told a lie. While the jury was told that Caroline killed Ross in self defense, the real story was that she impaled the man out of her own hatred and frustration with vengeance in mind. Caroline's mutilated body and scars were hard evidence enough that she was tortured and abused while she was kidnapped, and the courts closed the case without any further concerns.

Since the case was wrapped up, May decided to stay in Petalburg with her family over the last three months to make sure her family was able to pull back together. Even though her parents insisted that they were fine and that she didn't have to put her coordinator career on the backburner any longer, May refused to leave the Gym until she was absolutely certain that everything was ok. While she was a little overdramatic as well as a little paranoid, Norman and Caroline knew that May meant well, and they knew that whole ordeal with Ross did in fact leave a permanent mental scar in May's stability. Her mother even made a full recovery, and her wounds healed over the three months time, but May refused to leave for the time being. The feeling of the loss of her mother when she was missing overwhelmed her completely, and now that she had returned, she didn't want to have that horrible feeling inside her ever again. She _had _to make sure her mother recovered, she _had _to make sure she was there by her side. And sure enough, May watched her mother day in and day out, as she recovered from her injuries and made the transition back to the parent she knew and loved.

Since May remained at the Gym over the last three months, Ash and Max had to as well. Max didn't mind of course because they were his parents too, and he was overjoyed to see his family together again. Norman even started taking challengers at the Petalburg Gym again, and Max gladly took over Kenny's position as the referee for the Gym matches every once in a while. The boy even confessed to his father that he wanted to take over the Gym when he was older, and Norman promised his son that as long as he could prove himself to be a worthy trainer in the future, he would gladly hand over the Gym to him once he retired. Max was pleased that his father _finally _recognized his dream and his passion for wanting to follow in his footsteps.

Ash loved May, Max and her family more than anything, yet at the same time, he felt more and more restless at the Gym everyday. He spent three months at the Gym out of respect to May whom he loved dearly, but the young man was clearly getting the urge to start traveling again.

Ash was a trainer, and one of his passions was to travel and compete against strong opponents all over the world. He wanted to see new and exciting Pokemon, something he felt like he was missing out on by staying at the Gym. He was conflicted because he knew that May and Max needed this time with their family after all that's happened, but he was really getting eager to continue his journey and his dream as well. What bothered him was he couldn't talk to May about it, he was afraid it would insult her if he told her he was going to travel again and not stay here with her family. He knew she would take it hard, because her father considered him to be almost as important to his family as his own children. May was his girlfriend, and she _expected _him to remain by her side, like he promised her he would all those months ago. He didn't want to possibly upset May or her family by saying he wanted to leave, no, he couldn't do that at all. Not only did he fear that the family might have some negative view of him if he said otherwise, but he also was afraid of what May might think of him if he hit the road while she was recovering from such an emotional ordeal.

And thus, being the strong-willed boy who cared for others like he was, Ash remained at the Petalburg Gym for those three months with May and her family. He never said a word to May that he felt out of place staying in one house and not continuing his journey for so long, and gladly did chores around the Gym to help the family with anything they needed. He remained silent, for that was the only thing he could do.

While the trainer and competitive side of Ash really wanted to stretch his legs after three months at the Gym, the compassionate side of him won out, and he was rewarded for it. Norman and Caroline appreciated him far more than they ever did in the past, which was astonishing, since the parents already held him to such high esteem for taking their children under his wing and exposing them to a world of adventure and Pokemon in the first place. Ash called some of his own Pokemon from Oak's lab just to let Max practice with them, and his bond with the young boy grew stronger than ever as he taught him how to use a wide variety of his own Pokemon in battle. It was, after all, getting close to Max's tenth birthday, and soon he would be eligible to receive his first official Pokemon and go on a journey of his own.

Last but not least, there was May, who while spent a good majority of time with her parents, rewarded Ash for his patience handsomely each and every day. As the days passed, she grew madly in love with him. What started as an innocent crush for a good friend gradually developed into real love, and she considered herself lucky to have a man like Ash by her side. They would spend hours each night sitting on the porch of Gym just talking and sharing intimate moments with one another. They gradually grew more intimate with one another, so much so that the awkward kisses they shared in the past were but a distant memory. They were no longer afraid of getting close to one another, and May would rest her hands confidently on his shoulders as she moved in for a kiss. They were soft, gentle kisses that one would expect from the young couple, yet the power behind them meant so, so much.

As the days passed, Ash didn't know what to do. May was becoming nearly everything to him, even rivaling Pikachu in terms of affection. The thought of telling her that he wanted to pursue his career as a Pokemon Master almost seemed insane at this point in time. It was odd, because May rarely expressed any desire to get back on the road and into the Contest circuit again, which shook his confidence. If she was putting her own passion to the side, the dream she had of becoming a Top coordinator that she loved so much, how would she take it if her boyfriend told her he couldn't stay with her at the Gym any longer? The notion almost seemed equivalent of a breakup, even though that comparison was equally silly. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't leave her. And he knew she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He continued to hold his tongue, never mentioning that he wanted to go, and wondered how much longer May would stay stationary at the Gym with her family. It could be for a long time yet, for she was a stubborn girl, and would not leave her parents until she wanted to. It was a big dilemma.

Presently, Ash was standing in the sun, trying to clear his mind. Sweat continued to drip down his face and his clothes stuck to his skin like glue in the bitter heat, but he continued to withstand it. He may have still been standing on Petalburg Gym property, but at least standing there in the sea of grass made him remember how much the passion to travel and compete burned inside of him.

He rubbed his brow with his elbow and sighed, even the hottest day of the year was more alluring than sitting in the Gym all day. He knew one thing was for sure, he snickered, he sure as hell was never going to become a Gym leader himself someday. Staying in one place and waiting for challengers to come to you was far too much a stagnant feeling to him. He sometimes pondered how Misty felt after all these years of being stuck in the Cerulean Gym, but she seemed like the type of girl who enjoyed it, and if that was the case, he wondered if she was going to stay there for the rest of her life. It was a hard life for him to imagine, but others such as May's parents and Misty enjoyed the Gym life, and even Max wanted the lifestyle as well. Needless to say, he was glad the girl he was enamored with loved to travel as much as he did, or at least, she _used _to.

"Hey, Ash!" a voice called from behind, "You're looking really hot today, you know that?"

He turned around absentmindedly and saw May smiling as she walked out of the Gym. She was wearing her favorite outfit, the same red top, white skirt, and blue shorts with her cute bandana tied in a knot around her brunette hair. She walked next to him and smiled cheerfully.

Ash was still lightheaded, as many other thoughts were still swimming in his head, but he smiled back and accepted her affection.

"Eh, what did you say?" he asked unsurely.

"I said you look hot today," May said cheerfully, "I mean really hot, and not because of your looks, but because your clothes are sticking to your skin and you're sweating like a pig!"

"Huh?" he questioned as he looked down at himself, not fully aware of how much he was drenched from his own sweat.

"Yeah, _that _kind of hot, as in you look like you're melting out here," she said, pointing to his clothes.

"They weren't kidding when they called this the hottest day of the year," Ash said, "It doesn't bother me that much, really."

"Yeah…but, you really do look like you're going to melt out here, melt into mush even!" she exclaimed, "And we can't have you melting into mush, especially since I love ya so much!"

She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then held his hand as she led him back inside the Gym.

"C'mon, Dad has the air conditioner on full blast, you look like you really should cool off," she suggested, "Besides, if you're going to do any melting, it's going to be for me, don't you think?"

"That's a funny way of looking at things," Ash said, "Is your Mom going anywhere today?"

They entered the Gym, but instead of May letting go of him, she continued to lead him by the hand inside.

"I don't know, but I promised her that I'd go out with her to pick up some stuff for tonight's barbeque, Mom is going to teach me how to cook tonight!" she squealed, "Aside from making those Pokeblocks for Munchlax, I've never really cooked before. I probably won't get it right away, but after a couple of nights, I should get the hang of it."

_With the way she's talking, it sounds like she plans to spend at least another week here, _he sighed, _Is she even still interested in traveling and Contests? _

May opened the bathroom door and led him inside, and instructed him to sit on a stool next to the shower doors. She reached into the bathtub and turned on the showerhead and then nodded with her head for him to get inside.

"You were standing outside for too long, you should cool off in a nice cold shower," May said, "Go on, get in."

"You brought me in here so I could take a shower?" he asked.

"Sure, didn't I say you looked like you were going to melt? I don't want you to collapse on me due to dehydration, and besides that, your underarms need some cleaning too," she said, waving her hand across her nose.

"You can't be serious…"

"Trust me, Ash, you stink," she said with a smile, "Even you're not immune to bad hygiene, standing out there in the heat will do that to you."

Ash wasn't in the mood to take a shower but he knew she wasn't going to let him leave this room until he cleaned himself up. He reluctantly peeled his sticky shirt off his body and handed it to her.

"I'll make sure Mom washes your clothes too, don't worry. That way you'll come out all squeaky clean and your clothes won't stink anymore either. It's win-win!" she said, "I'll be doing some other chores for Mom and Dad in the meantime while you take your shower, 'k?"

He scratched his chest uneasily as he sat down on the stool in his sticky sweatpants rather than stepping inside the bathtub. Although it would be uneasy to ask her and he almost feared the answer, he figured that now would be a good time to tell her that he really wanted to start traveling again. She still seemed way too wrapped up with deeds around the house, and he didn't know if he could manage staying at the Gym for another month or even a week.

"May, can I ask you something important?" he asked, staring her squarely in the eye.

She knew by the way he looked at her and by the tone of his voice that he was going to ask something important, so she placed his shirt aside and walked up to him politely and waited for him to speak.

He took a deep breath and tried to ask her as calmly as possible. "There's been something on my mind for a long time now, and I just need to ask, how much longer do you plan to stay with your parents here at the Gym?"

She looked at him oddly, as if the question appeared to not make sense at first.

"Um," she hesitated, "I promised myself to stay here and spend some time with my family now that things are getting back to normal, and I want to stay for a long time. I miss Mom and Dad, and I'm sure Max does too, and now that we're together again, I want to be with them just like old times, before I left on my Pokemon journey."

"But we've already been here for three months. Isn't that long enough?"

"Wuh? What…exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, slightly peeved, "I know we've been here for a few months already, but I just want to stay a little longer. Why are you asking me this, anyway?"

He sighed and looked down at the tiles on the floor. He looked back at up at her puzzled expression and began to reason with her.

"What about your Contests, May? Don't you want to start competing in them again? The Contest circuit has begun already, and if you don't start entering them soon, you're going to fall behind your rivals!" he exclaimed.

She put her hand on her chin and leaned against the bathroom wall unsurely. "I…I know. It really has been a long time since I entered a Contest, and I'm sure Drew and Harley are already winning ribbons in the Johto region, but…my family is _important _to me, Ash. After what my mother went through and everything that's happened, I don't want to abandon them! I just want to make sure my family is fine and recovers from this whole ordeal, and as much as putting my Contests on the backburner hurts me, I know I just gotta do it."

"So you really are going to stay here a long time then," he said disappointingly.

May shook her head and looked at him strangely. "As much as I love Contests and as much as I don't want to fall behind Drew and Harley, I place my family over them. It's really no different than the time I was willing to give up entering in the Hoenn Grand Festival to find my brother on that island with the Donphan. I love my dream, it's my passion, but my family means _everything _to me."

"I…I know. It's just that…"

"I nearly lost my mother, Ash," May said emotionally, her voice cracking. A small tear formed in the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away quickly with her pinky. "It…it was a terrible feeling. It was so incredibly depressing when my Mom was gone, I didn't even know what to do. The thought of losing her forever was so overwhelming that it was hard to even walk, eat or think. I…I never realized how much I loved her until I almost lost her."

She started to cry as she leaned against the wall, covering her face with her hands. Ash was annoyed with himself, this conversation was not supposed to make her cry. He felt guilty for pushing her to tears that he got up and walked over to her.

"May, I'm sorry, I meant to say something else," he pleaded, bringing her into his arms.

She leaned against his bare chest and hugged him securely, sniffing in his arms. "What…what was this conversation even about then?" she asked, "What was the point of all this?"

He rubbed her back while he held her, and spoke in a softer and more sympathetic tone of voice.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, May, but I have to say this," Ash said, "I…want to start traveling again, and leave the Gym."

Her eyes widened.

"I know how much your family means to you, and they mean a lot to me too, but it _has _been three months, and even your mother said that she's fine now. One thing that I really want to do is to continue my training and find a new region to explore. I…I just find it hard to spend so much time in one place. It's bothered me a good part of this month, but I kept it all inside and never said anything about it. But I really want to continue my journey and capture new Pokemon and have Gym battles and everything, and I can't do that by staying here at the Petalburg Gym."

"So…so what are you saying?" she asked sheepishly.

He hesitated as she picked her head off his shoulder and stared at him. Her eyes were watery and there was insecurity in her face, so he rubbed her shoulders to try to soothe her and calm her down.

"I'm going to start traveling again, with or without you," he said plainly.

"B-ut…"

"I'm not going to force you to come along with me, because I don't want to tear you away from your family. I understand how important it is to be with your Mom after what's happened, and if that's the case, so be it. I don't want you to be forced to choose between staying here or coming along with me, because I don't want to put you in that position, but I'm going to start traveling again by tomorrow morning."

"But you ARE putting me in that position!" May argued, "You just told me that you're going to start traveling again, and if that's the case, I won't be able to see you anymore!"

"May…this isn't supposed to be something to get mad about! I just feel too cooped up in the Gym after all this time," he said.

"I…I realize that. I know how you are about your quest. It doesn't surprise me that you want to finally start challenging Gyms in another region again, but what you're doing to me isn't fair."

"How's it not fair? You just said you understood!"

"Yes, I DO understand! We're both passionate about what we want to do, and I want to stay here with my family for a little while longer and you want to leave and start traveling! I can understand where you're coming from, Ash, but it's going to make me feel guilty whether I say one thing or another. You're making me choose between you or my family," she said.

"No I'm not!" Ash argued. He stepped away from her and picked up his black T-shirt that was resting on the hamper. He pulled the shirt back over his chest and tried to maintain a cool head. "I don't want you to choose, that's the thing."

"Well you're not doing a very good job at that," she said, walking to the door. She turned around and looked solemnly at her boyfriend. "Dammit, Ash, I love you, and I don't want to see you go. I thought we made a promise to one another that we would always be together, and you wouldn't leave my side and vice versa? If you start traveling and I stay here, it could be months before we even see each other again!"

"That doesn't have to be, we can keep in touch via the video phone and stuff," Ash said.

"But that's not the same as being with you in person! How am I supposed to kiss you and express how much I love you if you're thousand of miles away? How are we supposed to help each other with our problems and pull through if we're so many miles apart?"

Ash frowned. "This is why I didn't want to talk to you about this. I knew it wouldn't turn out well."

There was a minute of silence in the room as Ash and May tried to regain their composure. They exchanged glances again, unsure of what to say to one another. She stared at the bathroom walls and he stared at the floor, it was awkward to even make eye contact. She wanted him to stay with her, but at the same time knew he would be happier traveling and battling with Pokemon. Would what is best for her also be what is best for him?

After moments of anxiety and tension, she finally mustered up the courage to talk to him. She took both his hands and rubbed his palms.

"Are…are you still going to leave tomorrow?" she asked, meekly.

"I…" he hesitated, "I…think so."

She frowned and struggled to remain optimistic.

"Ok," she said softly.

"May..."

"…there's no stopping you when you have your heart set on something, is there?" she asked.

"We'll keep in touch, definitely, I'm not going to forget about you," he promised her.

She wrapped her hands tightly around his hands and sighed.

"I'll tell my parents what you want to do. If everything goes well, I'll…catch up to you…when you go. Ok?"

"O-Ok…we'll see each other soon then," Ash said, finally smiling, "We won't be apart for that long if you only stay here for another month or so."

"Good, I'm glad we could work this out," she said, "If this is our last day together for the next couple of weeks…let's spend the most of our time together, ok?"

Her cheerful demeanor returned as she calmed down. She pulled his face toward hers and received his affection as their mouths intertwined, softly, quietly, and passionately. They held one another close as they confirmed how much they cared for one another, undisturbed in the quiet and private bathroom walls, as the faint sounds of splashing water from the showerhead behind them filled the room with a pleasant and relaxing sound. It was their moment, and they were going to make the most of it.

~*~*~*~*

Ash rubbed the towel thoroughly through his wet hair as he tried to get the excess water out. He had just finished putting on his spare change of clothes after drying himself off from the shower, and discarded his previous clothes inside his bag. His new clothes were the same typical sweatpants and t-shirt, but they suited him well. He sat on the bed in the bedroom and stretched out his arms, relieved that he listened to May's advice to take a shower and freshen himself up.

May was standing in her bedroom as well, drying her hair with the hairdryer while staring in the mirror which was above her dresser. She used her comb to straighten out the curls in her hair and made sure she gave herself the same locks of hair over her ears that she preferred. Her body was still soaking wet, having just gotten out of the shower, and stood with a loosely wrapped white towel covering her skin as she dried her hair.

Pikachu nudged open the bedroom door and jumped into Ash's arms quickly, allowing the trainer to cuddle him. The little electric Pokemon was busy playing in the greenhouse with all of May's Pokemon during the day. Ash rubbed the rodent behind the ears where he knew the Pokemon liked it the most, and Pikachu cooed with delight. After he put his cap back on and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, he decided to go downstairs and tell Max that he would be leaving by the end of the day. Before he left the room however, he walked over to May and placed his hand on her shoulder while she dried her hair.

"You're still ok with this, right?" he asked.

She looked back at him and smiled. "Sure, after thinking things through during the shower, I think we _could _probably use a little alone time from each other for a while. It was a pleasant experience, Ash, I'm glad we spent that moment together before you left."

"I'm glad too, I promise not to miss ya, _too much," _he joked.

"Heehee, go on, go tell my brother what's going on, he'll probably want to know," she said, giggling.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"Eh, nothing, Pikachu," Ash said quickly. "I'll tell Max I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, I…guess I'll see you at the barbecue tonight then, right?"

"Chu," Pikachu scoffed.

"Yep," she said, "Now get going, my towel feels like it's about to fall off and Pikachu is in the room!"

Ash rolled his eyes and scurried out of the room and downstairs where he could tell Max and the rest of May's family the news. While Max was somewhat upset that Ash was going to travel and May wasn't going to go with him, he understood perfectly that his sister wanted to remain with Mom and Dad. The boy contemplated asking Ash himself whether he could tag along, but he decided to stay with his family at the Gym and learn more from watching his father's battles. The entire family at Petalburg was reunited after a series of unfortunate events, and he felt the same desire as his sister to stay nearby his mother.

As Ash just finished explaining to Caroline that he was going to leave the next morning, Norman called him over to the videophone in the other room and said it was for him. Ash curiously answered the call and wondered who it could possibly be, but Norman told him it was someone he knew.

"Hi, son!" Delia greeted jovially.

"Mom?" Ash said, surprised, "I didn't expect you to call again so soon."

Ash had spent the last couple of months calling his mother in Pallet periodically to ask her how she was. The talk he had with Brock before he went back to Pewter was about cherishing the family he had back home, and Ash made sure to let his mother know how he was doing much more frequently than he ever did before. He was pretty surprised that she called him back again so soon, he had just talked to her only yesterday.

"You're still at May and Max's home, I see? How's the weather over at Petalburg?" she asked.

"It's really hot, Mom. That's why we have to stay indoors almost the whole day, you could roast alive out here. You're lucky you're in Kanto, it's really cool over there, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yep, over here in Pallet its only 75 degrees, it's the perfect weather to spend all day outside and water the garden. Mimie has been helping me out with that too!" she said.

"Aw, you're lucky," Ash mused.

"Anyway, the reason I've called you is that Professor Oak has some exciting news!" Delia exclaimed.

"Professor Oak? Really? Should I go call him?" Ash asked.

"No need to, Ash," Professor Oak said, appearing on the video screen beside his mother. "I can tell you from here."

_Professor Oak is at my house again? Wow, I really wonder how much time he spends there, _Ash thought.

Professor Oak was an elderly man in his sixties who Ash got his first Pokemon, Pikachu, from back in Pallet Town. He had short gray hair and a pleasant smile. He wore a long lab coat with a red short sleeve shirt underneath, and long tan pants. While he wasn't as zany as Professor Latrommi, Oak had a good sense of humor and was into Pokemon poetry. He remained a good friend and a grandfather figure to Ash over the years.

"Ash, do you want to hear the surprise?" Oak asked.

"Surprise? Um, sure!" Ash said.

"You might want to call May over to the phone too, she'll want to hear this as well," Oak said.

"May too?" Ash asked, confused, "Um, she just got out of the shower, she was busy drying her hair and isn't even fully dressed yet."

"If there's a surprise for my sister, I can tell her!" Max said, walking next to Ash.

"Ah, Max, you might be interested as well. You're turning 10 in a few months, correct?" Oak asked.

"Yep, and then I'll _finally _be able to start my own Pokemon journey! I can't wait!" Max squealed.

"Ok then, then this should please you," Oak said, "Ta-da!"

He picked up a large egg, lime in color, and pushed it in front of the video screen so Ash and Max could see.

"That's a Pokemon egg!" Max said astutely.

"Sure is, do you like it, Ash?" Delia asked.

"It has a really nice color, Mom, I think it looks neat! But why are you guys showing me this?" Ash asked.

"Heehee, do you want to tell them, Professor?" Delia giggled.

"Alrighty then," Oak smirked, "Ash, this Pokemon egg is the offspring of your Bulbasaur!"

"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's so cool!" Max shouted.

He turned to Ash who looked a bit puzzled.

"Um, Ash? You do know offspring means the child of your Bulbasaur, right? That's what "mating" does," Max said in a mocking manner.

"What?" Ash said again. He turned to Max disoriented. "Ugh, not you, Max, I know what that means!"

"Just checkin'," Max said slyly, raising his glasses.

"And not only is this the offspring of your Bulbasaur, but it is the offspring of May's Bulbasaur as well!" Oak declared, "Ash, your and May's Bulbasaur mated! They had an egg together!"

Ash was speechless. He didn't know what to say.

"Oh, son, I'm so happy for you!" Delia squealed, "Who knew your Pokemon and May's would grow so close together? It's really heartwarming."

"Pikachu, pika, pika?" Pikachu asked its trainer.

Ash was still shocked, he didn't say anything but stare at the screen.

"I was a bit surprised myself, so to speak," Oak said, "My goodness, I was surprised. I came back to the lab and there was an egg! I didn't know how it got there, but you do want it, yes?"

"Ooh, a baby Bulbasaur is going to hatch from that egg," Max said happily, "Ash you just gotta let them transfer it over here! I can't wait to see that Pokemon hatch!"

"I…" Ash said.

"Don't forget, Ash, the Pokemon take after their trainers," Delia said, "The close bond your Bulbasaur felt must have been a reflection of the closeness between you and May. I wonder if your two Bulbasaur mating is a sign of things to come for you and May?"

"MOM!" Ash screamed.

Norman laughed and walked away from the monitor. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Ms. Ketchum," Norman chuckled, "My daughter isn't ready for that for a number of years yet, and I certainly wouldn't let it happen under my roof, no matter how much those two love one another."

"Oh, you're keeping those two on their toes, Norman? I hope you're keeping a watchful eye on my little Ash," Delia said.

"With the gentleman your son is, I don't think you have to worry," Norman said, "They're good kids, they certainly are."

Ash's face was getting redder as he stood by the monitor. Even Pikachu had to hide its face in embarrassment.

"You see, dear?" Delia told her son, "May's father is very astute. He'll make the perfect father-in-law for you in the future."

"MOM! STOP!" Ash screamed, his face almost exploding in embarrassment.

"Oh boy, even I didn't like the sound of that," Max said, scratching his head.

Norman laughed and went upstairs to tell his daughter the news about the Bulbasaur. Oak told the boys that he could transfer the egg right to the Pokemon Center in Petalburg, where they could then pick it up and bring it to the house.

"Ok, son, I have to get back to my gardening now. I think Mimie is accidentally trampling the flowers as he waters them, he always has trouble with that. Buh-bye!" Delia said as she ran off the screen.

Oak even knew his mother went a little too over the top with her last couple of lines. He shook his head and held the green egg at the screen.

"I'll transfer over the two Bulbasaur as well. Surely the parents will want to be around when their infant hatches, and you can raise the child Bulbasaur at Petalburg if you wish," Oak said, "As a suggestion, Max, how would you like to raise the infant Bulbasaur as your starter Pokemon when you turn 10 in a few months?"

"Huh? Really?" Max said, flabbergasted, "But, doesn't the baby Bulbasaur belong to either Ash or my sister?"

"Well, it's only a suggestion, and of course, it'll happen only if it's ok with you, Ash," Oak said, "That's why I was happy Max was present, I was wondering if he would want to take care of an infant Bulbasaur, and since he's about to come of age to be a trainer, it would be perfect for him to start with."

"Awesome!" Max squealed, "Whaddya say, Ash? Can I keep it? Can I? Can I?"

He heard a loud thump to his left. Max looked over to his left, and Ash was no longer standing there! Pikachu hastily jumped over to Max's shoulder.

"Huh? What happened to Ash?" Oak asked.

"He…he fainted!" Max exclaimed.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu sighed.

Ash's body lie on the floor as Max and Pikachu looked over at him, astonished.

"Oh my, maybe this was all a little too much to take in at once," Oak said, "Nevertheless, I'm sure he'll come to by the time the Pokemon arrive at the Pokemon Center."

"Yeah, hopefully anyway," Max said, sarcastically. He put his hands on his hips and was annoyed that Ash fainted before he got confirmation that he could keep the baby Bulbasaur when it hatches.

"In any case, I think Ash's travel plans just got delayed a bit," Max giggled.

May was still blow-drying her hair in her bedroom when her father knocked on the door. He raised his voice and yelled his daughter's name so she could hear him over the hairdryer.

"Coming!" she said.

May opened the door just a crack, while her other arm pressed the loose towel against her body. She wasn't wearing anything, but when her father calls her, she wouldn't hesitate to answer.

"Still fixing your hair?" Norman asked, chortling.

"Yeah, Dad, sure am!" May said, "What's the matter?"

"Professor Oak just called and told us that he would be transferring over a Pokemon egg from his lab," he said.

She pulled open the door a tad more as she struggled to keep the towel on her wet body without it slipping off. Max walked up the steps to the second floor while Norman told her about the egg.

"What's so special about it?" she asked.

"Take it easy now, don't let this overwhelm you," Norman said, "But the egg is from your Bulbasaur. Your Bulbasaur and Ash's Bulbasaur mated at Oaks lab and they produced an egg together!"

"WHAT!?" May exclaimed.

"Can't you _try _to be original for once?" Max asked, snootily.

"I…don't believe it!" May gasped, feeling lightheaded.

"The egg should be arriving at the Pokemon Center along with the two Bulbasaur, you'll get to see them then. It's amusing how your Bulbasaur started a little family of their own together, I'm sure you'll be proud of them," Norman said.

There was a loud thump as a body fell backwards on the floor.

"May!" Norman exclaimed.

Max looked over in the doorway and saw his half-naked sister lying unconscious on the floor.

"Good grief," Max said, shaking his head, "I guess she really _can't _be original for once. What a copycat."

Max nonchalantly put his hands in his pants pockets and whistled as he walked down the hall, leaving his father standing there wondering what to do about his fainted teenage daughter lying half-naked on her bedroom floor.

"I'm really starting to think I have a dysfunctional family," Norman noted.

~*~*~*~*

"I still can't believe it!" May gasped, "I knew the two Bulbasaur were friendly together but I never thought they'd fall in love and have a baby together!"

"It really is something," Kenny said, "I'm glad for you, you can really be happy for your Pokemon now that it's a mother."

"Gee, I didn't think of that. My Bulbasaur is a Mom?" May pondered, "That's going to take some getting used to."

"When Ash, Max and your Dad get back with the Pokeballs and the egg from the Pokemon Center, I wonder how long it'll take for it to hatch. Oak said he was incubating it for a few weeks already," Kenny said, as he sat down on the armchair in the living room.

"Heehee, maybe I should go talk to Mom about this, she knows a lot about raising kids," May squealed.

She ran down the hall joyously, giggling all the way. Now that the shock of her Pokemon mating had worn off, she was much more excited to see the infant Bulbasaur hatch and watch the family interact together. Ash had his Bulbasaur for a long time, and May caught hers in the Hoenn region. She left her Bulbasaur with Ash's before she decided to travel through Kanto with him, and was surprised that they grew so close after all the time they spent at Oaks together.

She spotted her mother in her bedroom and ran up to her joyously. When May approached the bedroom, Caroline quickly stuffed what she was looking at into her drawer and quickly tried to put on a smile and look at her daughter.

"Mom! You heard, right? My Bulbasaur had a little baby! Well, it's not a baby _yet, _but its going to hatch into one!" she said excitedly.

"Yes, I've heard the news, it sounds very exciting," Caroline said, lacking enthusiasm in her voice.

"We agreed to let Max keep the baby Bulbasaur when it hatches, that way it can be part of the family as well. It'll seem really odd for Ash to own the father, me to own the mother, and my brother to own the baby, but ah well, who cares. I'm just so excited to finally see it!" she squealed.

Caroline rubbed her hand across her daughter's face and nodded, quickly picking up the tissues that were scattered along the bed and she tossed them in the wastebasket. May quickly noticed that something was amiss.

"Uh, Mom?" May asked, "You don't seem to be that…excited."

"I am, it's certainly interesting. It's just that…"

"You've…you've been crying," May said, concerned.

"Hm?"

"Is that why there were so many tissues lying around the bed and you rubbed your wet face?" she asked, "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I told you not to worry about me, remember?" Caroline said.

"But…you seem…kinda depressed," she said. She suddenly became very emotional. "MOM! Please don't tell me something bad happened again!"

"No, not at all!" Caroline said quickly, walking up to her daughter and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Stop jumping to conclusions, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the past…and it…it still upsets me."

"It still upsets me too, but then I listened to you about moving on and putting it behind us. Are you sure you're ok?" May asked frantically.

"Yes, dear, I really wish you wouldn't get so emotional because of me letting a few tears run by my cheek," the mother said, "C'mon, let's wait in the living room for Ash and the others to return home. I'm eager to see this family of Bulbasaur."

"O…okay," May said, "It just kinda scared me a bit to see you sad again. I was actually contemplating about leaving the Gym to go catch up to Ash when he starts traveling again, but I don't want to leave you if you're sad."

"Your father is here with me, don't forget that, it's not like I'm all alone. And honestly, I've told you that you don't have to put your quest on hold any longer for my sake, it _has _been three months."

The mother and daughter walked out of the bedroom and started heading toward the living room.

"I know, maybe I'm just a bit paranoid," May joked, "Ash and I promised to meet up with each other too if he decides to leave tomorrow, but that was before we found out about our Bulbasaur, so now I don't know if he's going to leave or not."

"Ash spent all this extra time with us here at the Gym just to make you happy, I'm sure," Caroline said, "He has been looking restless, I've noticed it myself for a while but I never said anything. I don't blame the boy, he is a Pokemon trainer after all, and traveling is what trainers need to do to accomplish their goals, yourself included, May."

"I'll start traveling again too, I promise," May said, "I hope I'm able to get enough ribbons before the Grand Festival deadline though, I'm starting a little late this year."

"You'll do fine, and I'm sure Ash will be happy to have you with him when you're on the road again. It really shows how much he loves you to stay here with us for so long even though he wanted to travel again. He's a wonderful boyfriend," Caroline said.

May blushed and twiddled her thumbs. "He is, makes me wonder if we went a little over the top in the bathroom together when we thought this was our last day with one another for a while," she said sheepishly.

"You and Ash did _what _in the bathroom together?" Caroline asked.

May jumped cautiously as a huge tint of red stretched across her face. "Um, nothing! Forget that!" May said skittishly, "We just did a little kissing, that's all, I swear!"

Caroline pondered if that was all there was to it. At any rate, she was happy to finally shift the subject off herself and her tears, and onto the more cheerful aspect of the Bulbasaur and May's relationship with Ash. While she told her daughter not to worry about her, Caroline did indeed suspect some depressing news about herself.

It would only be a few more months before that news would become apparent for them all, and it would change their family forever.


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

"The egg is beautiful," she said, examining the lime-green egg in her hands.

"It does have a really nice color," the mother added, "It stands out a lot with that shade of green."

"Bulbasaur! Bulba!" the female Bulbasaur cooed.

"May, it sounds like your Bulbasaur is thanking you for the compliments you're giving its egg," the father said.

"Oh, well it's really no surprise the egg is lovely considering how cute its Mommy is," May squealed.

"Bulba," the Bulbasaur smirked.

The entire family was gathered in the living room, sitting on chairs and couches that were all centered around the two Bulbasaur and their egg. They were the center of attention, and everyone was taking turns holding the egg and admiring its beauty. Ash's Bulbasaur and May's Bulbasaur were pleased to introduce their offspring, or what would soon hatch into their offspring, to their trainers who cared for them over the years.

Ash was overjoyed yet he sat on the couch with a look pf befuddlement on his face at the same time. This wasn't the first time one of his Pokemon had fallen in love with another Pokemon, but it was the first time the love brewed into something long lasting, something _permanent. _He couldn't get over the fact that his Bulbasaur, who was one of his earliest Pokemon that he had for years, actually fell in love with May's Bulbasaur while they were at Professor Oak's ranch together. Even more astonishing was that they mated and produced an egg together in such a short timeframe. His Bulbasaur wasn't just his trusted Pokemon anymore, it was a _father. _It actually had its own family now, and that, most of all, shocked Ash completely. He was happy for his Bulbasaur, albeit still stunned at the turn of events.

Pikachu and Ash's Bulbasaur chatted for a while, while May's Bulbasaur stood near its trainer while she held its egg. Pikachu found it amusing that its longtime friend started a family, and Bulbasaur gave Pikachu a whole story about how they fell in love. Since it was in Pokemon language of course, none of the humans could comprehend the love story, so it was Pikachu alone that Ash's Bulbasaur told its little secret to. Pikachu felt special being the only one to know how the two Bulbasaur tied the knot, and made insinuating glances at Ash and May as if it was expecting the two trainers to do the same when they reach their twenties.

May bent down on her knees and petted her Bulbasaur on the head. The Bulbasaur cooed in delight, as it missed the feel of May's compassion for a long time.

"It really is amazing to wrap my head around the concept that you're a Mommy now," May said, stroking her Bulbasaur, "It feels like only yesterday when you were this cute little Bulbasaur that I used to cuddle in my arms while we were traveling in Hoenn."

"Bulba, Bulba!" Bulbasaur cooed.

"You sound just like your mother," Norman said fondly, "She remembers holding you like a baby just like it was yesterday too."

"Indeed I do," Caroline added.

May blushed and quickly stood up. "Well you know, I guess like mothers, like daughters…eheh," she said squeamishly.

"Can, can I hold the egg?" Max asked anxiously.

"Of course, Max, why didn't you ask before?" May asked.

"I'm just…nervous," Max said.

May's Bulbasaur picked up its egg with its vines and approached Max with it. Max hesitantly picked the egg out of its mothers' vines and held it carefully.

"See? Nothing to be nervous about," May said.

Max looked over the egg from all sides but was still fairly nervous about holding it.

"My…first Pokemon is inside this egg," Max said, "It's scary to think about."

"Don't be scared, Max," Ash said calmly, "Just like your sister said, there's nothing to be nervous about. I know getting your first Pokemon is really exciting, but you have a lot of time to get to know it while it's just an egg! I didn't meet Pikachu until it was already at Professor Oak's lab, but you're going to get to see your Pokemon hatch right out of its egg! You'll be with it since birth, and that's really exciting!"

"Yeah, Ash is right. It's just like when I had my Eevee when it was just an egg, it was so fun to look after and count down the days until it hatched," May squealed, "I was the first thing Eevee saw, and we've been a team ever since."

Max glanced down at his egg and then looked up at everyone else. "But…but what if it doesn't like me? What if it hatches and doesn't think I'm good enough to be its trainer?"

"Max, you're sounding irrational, even for you," May said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Actually, it's perfectly normal for him to be uncertain about this," Norman said, "It IS his first Pokemon, May, and it's going to be just a baby when it hatches. You'll have to take good care of it, Max, especially since it's an infant."

"I promise to," Max said, nodding.

"Yeah, and if you ever need any help, its parents can help you out too!" Ash said.

The two Bulbasaur chimed together. Max felt more relieved and handed the egg back to its parents.

"I also have to thank you guys for actually allowing me the privilege of keeping your baby," Max said, "I promise to take good care of it."

"Bulbasaur," the male Bulbasaur nodded.

"Heheh, thanks," Max said bashfully.

The two Bulbasaur had great trust in Max to take care of its offspring, especially since he was May's brother. Ash and May did a wonderful job taking care of them, and the Bulbasaur knew their offspring would grow wonderfully under Max's guidance. It would be some time before Max reached his tenth birthday, but he hoped that his Bulbasaur would hatch from the egg before he became of age to be a trainer, because that way he could play with it in the Gym for a while.

Norman was proud to see his son so enthusiastic about becoming a trainer, and expected good things from him in the future. He would have his own infant Bulbasaur in no time at all, a Pokemon that connected him both to his sister, May, and his best friend, Ash. Perhaps Max having the combined qualities of both his sister and Ash would benefit him the most on his journey.

Ash walked over to greet his Bulbasaur.

"Gee, Bulbasaur, I never knew you liked May's Bulbasaur to begin with," Ash said, patting its head.

"Bulbasaur. Bulba, Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur cooed.

"I guess these are some of the things that just go over my head, don't they?" he joked.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur smirked.

"It was sudden, so don't feel so bad, Ash, about being slow to catch onto things like this," May teased, sticking out her tongue at the boy.

"Pi-kachu!" Pikachu added.

"Pikachu, do you always have to take her side?" Ash asked.

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu cooed.

_Man, I've waited for this day for so long and I can't believe it's almost here, _Max thought gleefully, _C'mon little egg, hatch really soon! I'm waiting for you! _

~*~*~*~

Another week passed at the Petalburg Gym, and Ash, reluctantly, stayed at the Gym for yet another week instead of setting off like he planned. The arrival of the egg of his Bulbasaur changed things for him, and he didn't want to miss it hatching either. Not only because he would love to see his trusty Bulbasaur fathering its offspring, but also because he wanted to see how Max would interact with his first Pokemon. After all the time he spent traveling with Max, he felt somewhat compelled to at least see him set off with his infant Bulbasaur instead of rudely leaving without being there for him in what was quite possibly the pinnacle of his life thus far.

The wait at the Gym nearly killed Ash, but thanks to Norman and May having practice battles with him everyday, it helped ease the wait for the egg to hatch. None of them knew how long it would take the egg to hatch, but they figured it wouldn't take more than a month. May knew that Ash was being awfully patient and felt sympathy for him, especially since she knew he was doing it only for her little brother. She rewarded him with a number of intimate moments for his patience, some that even pushed the boundaries of what either Ash or May knew they were capable of.

Aside from May's private moments with her boyfriend, she also managed to keep herself from obsessing over her mother like she used to. She did catch her mother looking somewhat depressed every few days or so, but she figured she was probably exaggerating how her mother really felt or that the aftermath of the crime still haunted her internally. May knew the feeling, as no matter how much time passed since the incident, she would never forget how her mother was violated and how their family was threatened with violence. She tried not to dwell on the issue too much and kept herself from overreacting like she used to, and focus on the present, rather than on the depressing past. She knew she needed to heed Ash and her mother's advice that she had to move on, and focus on the good aspects of life over the bad.

Max spent each passing day cradling the egg in his arms, when it wasn't in possession of its parents, and eagerly waited for it to hatch. He would hold his knees together and huddle himself on a small chair overlooking the lone egg on the floor, counting each second down and hoping he would eventually see a small crack appearing down the middle. The two Bulbasaur were greatly appreciative of all the help Max was while watching their offspring, and were more than satisfied over the fact that he was going to be its trainer when it hatched.

For Max, the wait for the egg to hatch was almost as agonizing as Ash's was. Both of them wanted to see the baby Pokemon, and both of them were very eager to start the next segment of their lives. Max recalled all the moments he watched Ash, May and Brock interact with their Pokemon as well as their battles, and the thought of himself finally being able to do the same was an overwhelming thought of glee for the boy. Not only would he have his first Pokemon soon, but he was almost legal to start traveling by himself as an official trainer as well. He giggled to himself, this was going to be the wait to end all waits.

~*~*~*

The following week Max noticed that the egg had a strange glowing aura surrounding it. He walked toward the egg hesitantly and was wondering what was going on, but when the egg flashed brightly and illuminated the room, he knew one thing was certain, the egg was hatching! The two Bulbasaur were also nearby and looked upon their offspring excitedly, it was finally time!

"GUYS! GET OVER HERE QUICK!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ash and May quickly darted over to the egg and clutched their own Bulbasaur respectively as they awaited the birth of the new Pokemon.

"Bulbasaur, it's finally time!" May squealed, holding her Bulbasaur in her arms, "The egg is glowing!"

"Bulba! BULBA!" her female Bulbasaur chimed.

"Bulbasaur, can you believe it?" Ash asked rhetorically.

"Bulbasaur…" it uttered in amazement.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu gasped as it watched the egg from Ash's shoulder.

The light began to dimmer and they saw the small green bulb on the back of an infant Bulbasaur lying on the table. The infant Bulbasaur was _tiny, _it was about the size of Ash's right foot. It had a wonderful shade of green that resembled its parents, and had bright red eyes that were common for all Bulbasaur. The infant Bulbasaur slowly and hesitantly opened its eyes as the first visual of life formed for the Pokemon. It saw three humans with wide-open smiles as well as two Bulbasaur. Ash was on the right holding the father, May was on the left holding the mother, and Max, its future trainer, was standing in the center, gazing upon the Pokemon in awe.

The infant Bulbasaur uttered its first words, "Bu-lb-a."

"It…it spoke!" Max gasped.

"Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur!" the father and mother Bulbasaur shouted in unison.

They excitedly jumped out of their trainers arms and reached with their vines to carry the infant Bulbasaur up from the floor and rocked it gently in the air. They had their vines wrapped around its bulb and held it so its tummy stuck in the air. The poor baby had no idea what was going on, but it had an instinct that it was in its parents clutches, and relaxed gently as they cradled it.

The father and mother Bulbasaur softly sang a tune in a tone that only Pokemon could understand, and Pikachu joined in as well to welcome the cute and tiny Bulbasaur into the world.

The baby spoke again, "Bu-lba."

"It's…so adorable," May squealed, clasping her hands.

Max stared at the family rocking the infant Bulbasaur and singing to it, but he felt somewhat neglected that he didn't get to say hello to it yet. After all, he was going to become its trainer, and wanted to talk to the baby for the first time.

"Max, are you ok?" Ash asked.

Max hesitantly nodded as he continued to watch the family of Bulbasaur from afar.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok, Ash. They…look so happy together," he said.

"They certainly do," Ash added.

May noticed her brother's uneasiness and put her hand on his shoulder. The younger brother looked up at his older sister for guidance.

"You'll get to say hello to it soon, Max," May said lovingly, "It just hatched, let it be with its parents for now. They're overjoyed with their newborn baby, they need to have their moments together."

"I…I see," Max said, staring at the baby, feeling left out, "Um…ok then."

"Max, be happy for them, they're a family now. And soon, the baby Bulbasaur will recognize you as its trainer and best friend. It may not be aware of you now, but you'll have plenty of time to get to know it very soon," she reassured him.

"Bu-lba! Bu-lba!" the baby Bulbasaur cried, trying to imitate the soothing lullaby from its parents.

"Heh, it's trying to sing!" Ash said.

The baby Bulbasaur looked to its left and noticed an eager little boy looking at it from afar. The Bulbasaur didn't know what to make of the boy, but it was fixated on him for the time being. Max was overjoyed when the Bulbasaur finally made eye contact with him, and he raised his hand slowly and meekly waved at the Pokemon.

"Hi…" Max said meekly, lowering his hand to his side.

The baby remained silent, but continued to stare at him nonetheless. Max soon found his confidence building up, and smiled contently. It was an adorable Pokemon, and Max felt like one of the happiest kids on Earth.

~*~*~*~*

"Give us back our Bulbasaur!" May shouted angrily.

"Bu-lba…!" the infant Bulbasaur uttered, upset to see its parents in trouble.

Max clutched the baby Bulbasaur in his arms protectively. Its parents may have been taken away, but he definitely would not let the infant be stolen. He promised himself he would take good care of his Pokemon, and this was one promise he swore to keep.

"Great, I don't think Pikachu's electricity can reach that far either!" Ash said angrily.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu said disappointingly.

"How dare you come here and do such a thing, those Bulbasaur are parents!" Norman yelled.

Ash stood angrily outside the Gym with clenched fists, along with May, her father and Max, who were looking up at the two Bulbasaur that were desperately trying to break free of large mechanical arms that held them in the air. The giant hands were pink and were attached by a long metal cord which extended back to a machine underneath a hot-air balloon. The balloon had a green platform for the three familiar crooks to stand on, and the balloon had the face of a mischievous Meowth.

"Ooooh, these two lovebirds are parents now?" James squealed.

"Bulbasaur, Bulba!" the Bulbasaur cried as the metal arms continued to dangle them in the air.

"Who would have thunk it? The two Pokemon tied the knot!" Jessie exclaimed, "Why is it that everyone can find true love but me?"

"Maybe it's because no man could stand the torture of being married to you?" Meowth scoffed.

"What did you say, Meowth?!" Jessie demanded, as she picked up Meowth's body and shook his rapidly.

"H-h-he-y, ca-lm, d-o-o-o-o-w-n, J-ess!" Meowth gasped between shakes.

"Well what he said was true," James said, "Being married to you would indeed be a living hell."

"Hey, shut up!" Jessie yelled, throwing Meowth straight into James' face. The two fell over backwards on the platform with dazed expressions. "You two are _already _in a living hell, and I'll make it even WORSE if you don't get focused and make our get-away!"

"Ugh, aren't we going to try and get Pikachu too?" James asked, trying to sit up.

"Nope, we already have the two Bulbasaur, and you know that every time we get greedy we end up bumbling and getting blasted off, so let's be content with our riches for now, hm?" Jessie sneered.

"Dat's fine with me, now how's about we scram outta here!" Meowth shouted.

May looked up at the Meowth balloon as it started to move away from the Gym. She desperately turned to her father and asked him for a plan. Norman spoke what was on his mind.

"They're moving away too fast and we can't just cut the metal cords of those arms, because if we do your two Bulbasaur will go plummeting to the ground," Norman said, "We wouldn't be able to catch them in time."

"But there has to be _something _we can do!" May pleaded, "Ash, c'mon! You're telling me that we can take down dangerous criminals like Ross yet we can't beat guys like Team Rocket?!"

"I could just send Swellow to pop their balloon but like your father said, that would mean our Bulbasaur would come crashing down to the ground and they'd get hurt!" Ash retorted, "If only there was some way to get them down safely…"

"Hey…when you mentioned Swellow, Ash, I just thought of something!" Max said as an idea clicked in his head. The little Bulbasaur looked up at its trainer innocently, hoping that he had a plan to rescue its parents. "Ash, why don't you send up your Swellow to snap the metal cord and then quickly let your Bulbasaur land on its back and then it can glide your Pokemon down to safety! And May, you can do the same thing with your Beautifly!"

"Wow, Max, that's a great idea!" May exclaimed.

"Bu-lba, Bu-lba," the baby Bulbasaur said anxiously.

"Your parents will be safe, Bulbasaur," Max said, squeezing the infant, "My big sister and Ash have taken care of Team Rocket lots of times, and they're going to do it again!"

"Alright, ready, May?" Ash asked.

"Ready!" she said, holding her Pokeball up.

"SWELLOW, GO!"

"BEAUTIFLY, I choose you!"

The two trainers threw their Pokeballs in the air and the small blue bird and majestic butterfly appeared before them.

"Go save our Bulbasaur!" Ash and May commanded.

Beautifly and Swellow nodded and flew up to the Meowth balloon quickly.

"Looks like we've got company!" Meowth gasped.

"There's two of them coming right at us!" Jessie shouted.

"I know, that's why I called them company!" Meowth exclaimed.

"No kidding!" James added.

"Beau-tifly!" the Pokemon shouted, as it approached the metal arms.

"Swe-llow," Swellow shrieked, calling out to the Bulbasaur.

The two Bulbasaur spotted the two flying Pokemon and knew they were about to be rescued.

"Swellow, use Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind!" May commanded.

Beautifly flapped its wings at rapid speeds to create strong strokes of wind that sliced clean through the metallic arm that held the female Bulbasaur. The hand's grip on the Pokemon loosened and as the Bulbasaur was about to fall to the ground, Beautifly swooped under it and let it land on its back.

"Darn it, these metal arms are as cheap as they look!" Jessie cried.

Swellow swiftly rammed right into the other metal arm with its beak, breaking the cord instantly and quickly caught the male Bulbasaur on its back and hovered in front of the balloon in mid-air.

The flying Pokemon raised the Bulbasaur on their backs to face Team Rocket on their balloon with a very wicked grin.

"I don't like the way they're looking at us," Jessie said.

"Great, why do I get the feeling we're going to lose a lot of hot air fast?" Meowth said.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur said as it glanced at its female mate.

"Saur," the female Bulbasaur nodded.

The flying Pokemon rose in altitude up to the middle of the balloon and allowed the two Bulbasaur to use their Razor Leaf attacks.

"BULBASAUR!" they shouted, as their swift leaves shot out from their bulbs and toward the Meowth balloon, which instantly tore a hole in the thing and caused Team Rocket to go plummeting down to the ground.

"They did it!" Max shouted.

"Bu-lba-saur!" the baby said happily.

Team Rocket screamed as their balloon crashed into the ground right in front of Ash and the others. Swellow and Beautifly made their descend to the ground and the two Bulbasaur quickly jumped off their backs and onto the ground to greet their trainers.

"Awesome work, you two!" May complimented.

"Bulbasaur," the two Bulbasaur smiled, tapping vines together.

"We're not done yet!" Jessie shouted as the smoke cleared from the fallen balloon.

"Indeed, we didn't come back this late in the story only to get blown away again so easily!" James said angrily.

"You can say dat again, what do we look like, filler material?" Meowth sneered.

"Alright, Pikachu, want to send them packing?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu said as it leaped off its trainer's shoulder.

Max quickly noticed his baby Bulbasaur struggling to get out of his arms. "Bulbasaur, what's the matter?" Max asked. The Bulbasaur then broke free from his trainers hold and ran toward its parents.

"Bulbasaur!" the infant Bulbasaur growled at Team Rocket.

The two parent Bulbasaur looked surprised at their baby as they noticed it was gathering sunlight on the bulb on its back.

"What did it say, Meowth?" James asked.

"Wow, I think that little pipsqueak actually threatened to send us blasting off!" Meowth said.

"You've _got _to be kidding me," Jessie said.

"I'd be worried if I were you guys," Norman said, crossing his arms and grinning, "It looks to me like this little Bulbasaur is charging energy for a Solarbeam attack."

"Solarbeam?!" Ash gasped, "Are you sure, Norman? It's just a baby, how could it know the most powerful grass type attack?"

"Sometimes the attacks the parents know are passed down to their offspring after birth, its an instinctive move they inherited early from their parents," Norman said, "It may not be as powerful as your Bulbasaur's Solarbeam, Ash, but it should be enough to blow those three clowns away."

"Whoa, my Bulbasaur knows Solarbeam already? I can't believe it!" Max gasped.

"Buuuuuuulba," the baby Bulbasaur growled as the light on its back grew bigger.

"Max, why don't you command its attack?" May asked, "Your're its trainer, tell it to fire the Solarbeam!"

"Hm, you mean me?" Max asked insecurely, "But I don't know if…"

"Bu-lba!" his baby Bulbasaur nodded while looking at its trainer.

Max nodded excitedly as his Bulbasaur gave him the ok. He ran up behind his Bulbasaur and pointed at Team Rocket ecstatically.

"Ok, Bulbasaur, USE SOLARBEAM ATTACK!" Max shouted.

"BUUUUUUUUUUUULBAAAAAASAAAAAAAYYYUR!"

A large and powerful beam of white light fired toward the cowering Team Rocket in an instant.

"Crud," Jessie muttered as the energy attack was upon her.

A large explosion shook the area in the distance as Team Rocket were blown into the air. Their bodies flew through the smoke as they gasped from the powerful attack.

"Please don't tell me this is our last appearance!" Jessie cried.

"At least we went out with a bang!" James yelled.

"It may be a bang, but this sure isn't a blaze of glory!" Meowth gasped.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" the trio shouted as they faded into the distance.

Max gasped excitedly and snatched his little Bulbasaur off the ground and twirled with him in his arms. The two giggled excitedly together as the others and the parent Bulbasaur watched happily.

"I can't believe you can use such powerful attacks already, you're going to be such a strong Pokemon!" Max squealed, jumping up and down.

"Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur," the infant cheered happily.

He hugged his Bulbasaur tightly while May and Ash watched, and they knew for sure that Max definitely had a bright future as a trainer ahead of him.

~*~*~*

It was finally time for the group to go their separate ways. Ash, May and Max stood in Petalburg Square, each reluctant to finally leave one another and go their separate paths. Ash and Pikachu were ready to make a brief stop in Pallet Town to visit his mother and Professor Oak before he decided where to set off to next. May knew plenty ahead of time that he was going to start traveling and compete in Gyms again, yet she was still somewhat sad when the time actually came to see him off. She promised to catch up to him in whatever region he decided to travel to, but in the meantime she still felt she was required at the Gym for a little while longer. Although there really was no reason she had to stay behind, it was a little kink she had to work out in her head about being too emotionally attached to her mother after the crisis. She hoped that after the counseling sessions her mother and she were scheduled to attend every week for two months, that she would be emotionally stable enough to leave her parents behind and catch up to Ash and compete in Contests. It was her mother who suggested the therapy sessions, and the daughter agreed it would be beneficial for them both.

Max held his baby Bulbasaur in his arms, and was very eager to start his travels through the Hoenn region and collect Gym badges. Although he still wasn't ten years old yet, he wanted to finally experience traveling by himself with only his Bulbasaur by his side and see if he was cut out to be a trainer. He wasn't legal to battle in Gyms just yet, but he could still build a team before he took on the challenge and prove to his father that he was a worthy successor.

Ash and May's Bulbasaur returned to Professor's Oaks lab via the Pokeball transfer machine the previous day. The parents and child spent the last couple of weeks together at the Gym, and they were content with giving Max custody of their baby Pokemon. The two Bulbasaur knew their infant was in good hands, especially considering they were owned by Max's, "family."

"Its been a long time coming, Max, but you're finally going to break free of our wing and make something of yourself," May said sincerely, "I believe you'll do just fine on your own."

"Heh, thanks for the vote of confidence, sis, I'll keep in touch with you via the PokeNav and let you know if I run into any trouble. Of course I don't expect that to happen anyway," he said proudly.

His Bulbasaur cooed in his arms, and Max was reminded that he had a strong and loyal Pokemon willing to help him out through thick and thin. It inherited a lot of powerful attacks from its parents, such as Solarbeam and Petal dance from its father and mother respectively, which meant it already had an arsenal of moves at its disposal at such a young age. It definitely meant that Max was on the right road to success.

"Don't forget everything you've learned, and make sure you build up a good and balanced team before you take on the first Gym!" Ash said.

"Pikachu!"

"I will guys, besides, I've already seen all the Hoenn Gym leaders already when I watched you do them, Ash, so I'd say that with that knowledge on my side in addition to the powerful attacks my little Bulbasaur knows, that I'm going to be cruising on air here!" he said proudly.

"Don't get carried away, Max, you can still screw up if you're not careful," May scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "And this time you won't have your big sister or Ash here to bail you out."

"I may not have you guys, but I have my Bulbasaur!" Max said, grinning.

'Bulbasaur, Bulba!" the Pokemon cheered.

"MAX! You know what I mean!" May yelled.

Max cowered and stepped away from his sister. "Heh, I was just kidding with you. You don't think I'd let my ego inflate now, would you?"

"You could have fooled me," May scoffed.

"Heh, are we just going to stand here and argue with each other all day or are we actually going to get going?" Ash asked, chortling.

May and Max looked at Ash and sighed. All jokes aside, they knew they really were going to split up for a while. The trio that traveled together for so long as a closely-knit family was about to break apart, and it would be somewhat difficult to part ways to say the least.

"Ash, you know I'll be waiting for you, right?" May asked, hesitantly.

"I do, I promise to keep in touch with you every single day until you're ready to travel again. Make sure to take good care of your mother," Ash said.

He walked over to May and placed his hand on her cheek, then slowly moved in to kiss her softly on the lips. Max watched them pressing against one another, and it was at that moment where he ultimately realized that Ash loved his sister tremendously. It wasn't just a silly crush between Ash and his sister, but it looked like real love. For the first time since he found out the two were intimate with one another, he actually watched the full kiss without turning away. It was still a teensy bit hard for him to watch, but he was no longer as grossed out about it as he used to be. Instead, he thought Ash and his sister kissing looked rather…pleasant.

"Take care, Ash," she said, gently breaking apart from him. "You too, Pikachu."

"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu said.

"We will," Ash said, "Pikachu, wanna see if we can hurry up and catch the next ferry to Kanto?"

"Pika!" Pikachu chimed.

"Ok then, it's time to go!" Ash cheered.

"Heh, I'll be heading to Rustboro City," Max said happily, "I'll try to catch some Pokemon before I get there!"

"Be careful, Max, you know from our travels there before that wild Pokemon can sometimes be unfriendly," May warned.

"Ok, I understand," Max said, nodding.

Ash, May and Max looked upon each other lovingly one last time before they all turned around and walked their separate ways. Each was feeling upbeat and cheery about doing what they wanted to do, and they knew that before long they would be reunited anyway. Being separated from her boyfriend was going to be hard, but she was willing to wait like her mother did with her father when they were younger, and grow a bit stronger because of it.

As Ash was running down the hill to reach the port where the ferry awaited him, he could think about how exciting it would be when May finally travels along with him again…

…next time, they would travel all alone, as a couple. And it would definitely be an experience to look forward to!


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49  
**  
Two combatants were standing on opposite ends of a battlefield in the middle of a town. The townspeople were all hovered around the battle arena, which was a flat dusty battlefield with the official Pokemon league markings on them. The match between the two opposing trainers wasn't anything more than a practice battle to prove who was the better trainer, yet in a dry and boring town such as this, an actual Pokemon battle during the middle of the day was enough to draw a humongous crowd over.

Two powerful Pokemon were in the midst of combat on-stage, each delivering one devastating blow after the last to their opponent. Blow after blow was reciprocated by the two hulking beasts, with their human companions yelling out attack names furiously, one after the other. Every time a crunch was delivered, the audience gasped and cringed, this battle was more than just a battle, if the attitudes of the Pokemon and human trainers were any indication, there was a large amount of pride on the line as well. And this was one fight neither participant was backing down from.

On one side, the seven foot tall Pokemon which resembled a human in length and physical appearance, was hunched over gaping and holding its chest. It received a heavy strike to the chest, one so strong that it had to actually stop to recover its lost stamina. It was covered with feathers and had a beak for a mouth, and its body was a mix of fiery red and orange. Its hands could emit fire at will, and its agile legs allowed it to leap great distances in the air and perform athletic feats that a human could only dream of. The Pokemon was none other than Blaziken, May's Blaziken, which evolved from her Combusken only a few weeks ago.

May stood in her trainers' box, yelling out support to her beaten and worn Pokemon on the battlefield. The amount of damage her Blaziken took over the course of the match was devastating, yet there was too much pride on the line to allow her to give up. She wiped the sweat from her brow and tried to stay calm, but she was quickly losing her composure. She instructed her Blaziken to use its Blaze ability to help regain some of its lost strength, in which her Pokemon did accordingly. Blaziken stood erect as its body glowed a red aura, allowing it to recharge and channel the strength back into its body.

"Blaziken, I believe in you! I know you can do this!" May shouted, her hands clasped.

"Blaze…" Blaziken muttered, promising not to let its master down.

"As long as she doesn't try to attack us while Blaziken is charging up its energy, then I should have no trouble winning this," May said, "And then I could smile and laugh as I humiliate her in front of the crowd and watch her run away with her tail between her legs."

"May, don't act cocky!" her friend warned, "You're taking this battle too personal, you need to relax! Blaziken was getting hammered out there just before, do you honestly want to suffer another defeat?"

He was standing within the crowd watching the intense battle, yet he made sure that she was able to see him amidst all the people. She turned to him frantically and retorted.

"You don't think I'm going to let her get away with this twice, do you, Ash?" May asked, "She blackmailed and made fun of us before, got us into trouble, and even picked fights with us for no reason! This is my one and only chance to finally get back at her and rub her face in the dirt for good! Almost the whole town is watching this battle, Ash, she would never take such a public defeat as anything more than public humiliation!"

"I know that, but you can't let your rage get the best of you. C'mon, May, you know this! Don't let your Blaziken succumb to defeat because of your own frustration and anger," Ash yelled out, "Promise me that you can treat this as if it were any other battle, as if it's just another match, and if you clear your mind and think rationally, you should be able to win!"

"Pikachu! Pika! Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

"Ash," she said. She looked back at her Blaziken, who was still coughing over the last attack it received. He was right, Blaziken was taking all the pain and damage, and she couldn't let it get hurt because of her own rage.

She took a deep breath and then yelled out something nobody would expect.

"I forfeit!" she cried.

The gasp of the crowd correlated with their stunned expressions over May giving up in the match. After such an intense battle that lasted over five minutes, the sight of the fiery young girl and her Blaziken giving up was something nobody expected, not even Ash.

"She…forfeited?" Ash said surprised.

"Pika, pikachu," Pikachu uttered.

May walked on the battlefield next to her Blaziken, resting her hand on its back and gently trying to soothe its pain. Her starter Pokemon looked at her calmly, somewhat relieved that the battle was over yet its pride was feeling hurt. It knew how much May wanted to win the match, and it didn't expect its trainer to throw in the towel.

"I'm sorry, Blaziken, I pushed you too hard," she said, stroking its red feathers, "It's ok, you don't have to win them all for me. I love you no matter what."

"Blazekin," the Pokemon said, nodding.

"Why are you giving up like a loser?" her opponent shouted out, "Were you afraid that I was going to beat your Pokemon into submission for this entire crowd to see?"

May ignored her. She was a witch in every sense of the word, a rat, a scoundrel, and everything in between.

She could hear the townspeople whispering and conversing amongst themselves over the outcome of the match. They were asking how could she give up, why did she give in? Why was she letting her opponent make a mockery of her? Why wasn't she standing up for herself?

May ignored them too. She just wanted to get off the stage, heal her Blaziken at the Pokemon Center, and then meet up with Ash and get the hell out of the town.

"Well there you have it folks. My opponent is nothing but a sore loser," the woman declared, "She gave up because she knew her Blaziken was on the verge of defeat. Is this what you people expected of Norman's daughter? Ha! She's nothing like her father."

An agitated Blaziken turned toward the dark haired woman on the battlefield, but May placed her hand on its shoulder and motioned for it to relax. She took out its Pokeball, and told it everything would be fine. She retracted Blaziken to its ball, put it back in her bag, and walked toward Ash.

"May, I'm…" Ash started to say.

"It's ok, c'mon, let's get out of here," she said, tugging his arm as they pushed through the crowd together.

The woman on-stage recalled her Pokemon into its Pokeball, and slipped it inside her pocket. She crossed her arms and made one last remark toward the defeated May.

"No matter how hard you try, little girl, I'll always make sure to put you in your place where you belong," she shouted, "Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of, you're an utter disgrace to both your father and yourself."

"That's it, I'm going to…" Ash turned around angrily.

"Ash, NO!" May cried, grabbing his shoulder securely, "I said ignore her! I don't care what she says, it doesn't bother me."

"But she's making fun of you in front of all these people!" Ash exclaimed, "If anything, she shouldn't be allowed to talk about you like that."

"This isn't any different than last time," May said discouragingly, "She'll never change, let's just go. I got too carried away on the battlefield this time because of my freshly evolved Blaziken, and my overconfidence got the best of me which is why I ended up messing up in the match and my Pokemon got hurt because of it. One day I'll beat her, I'm sure of it."

Ash sighed and took her hand, as much as he understood what May was saying, he still didn't like the words the dark haired woman was saying to her, much less embarrassing her in front of an entire town. At any rate, she had the right course of action, it was time to get out of there. He led her by the hand through the crowd of people as they braved their way passed the sneering and snide remarks from all around them. She may have been humiliated, but this was no time to regain her prestige.

The woman licked her lips on-stage and smiled as she watched the two trainers run away.

"She's just like she was before," Precita said, "A little more confident on the outside, but just as spineless on the inside. Nothing more, nothing less."

~*~*~*~*~

The young couple was resting under the shade of a tree together on their backs, lounging around on the grass and staring up at the sky. May had her arms supporting her head and her legs lying on top of her boyfriend's. Her bandana was on top of her bag as she let her hair blow freely in the wind. Ash was beside her with his hat off to the side, and he slowly scratched her legs to comfort her every so often. Most of their Pokemon were out and running around the field together, Pikachu included.

Things were different now, with just the two of them. For the last month and a half they traveled alone as a couple, there was no Max, there was no Brock. With Max busy traveling in the Hoenn region with his young Bulbasaur and Brock following his own life with his girlfriend Tana, it left Ash and May with a lot of free time alone. It was somewhat awkward at first for them to be by themselves without anyone else, May especially felt it without having to look after her younger brother, and they spent their time getting used to the new status quo.

They no longer had to be concerned about anyone watching what they were doing or where they slept for the night, they were free to get as close to each other as possible and explore their relationship to the fullest. They spent their time training together, exploring the new Shinou region as they entered Gyms and Contests, going to recreational activities such as parks and movies, and ended up exploring quirky dating options with each other amongst other things.

There was still the troublemaking Team Rocket occasionally making their reappearances to pester them, but they were part of the routine by now. Ash and May would work together to blast them off before lunch, and on a good day, have a second chance before dinner to send them blasting off again. On some days, they would even keep count over who sent Team Rocket flying more than the other.

May was extremely happy with her decision to spend another month with her parents before she met up with Ash again, it helped her calm down emotionally and let her pursue her coordinator dream more easily knowing her mother was fine. The therapy sessions with her mother helped her get over her own insecurities and problems, and relieved much of the anxiety she had building up inside.

Now she had Ash all to herself, the boy who was once oblivious to love altogether, and who she never expected to return her feelings in such a serious manner in the first place. The past all seemed so trivial now, and whatever the case, the chain of events that led up to the present made May happier than she had been in months.

Everyone approved of their relationship, which was something neither of them expected either. Max and Brock were already aware of their relationship, as well as May's parents and Ash's Mom, but they were quite pleased and somewhat shocked to see almost everyone else give them their best regards as well. Professor Oak and his assistant Tracey thought they made a great pair for one another, and even a certain Gym leader from Cerulean City was happy that Ash's heart had finally been tamed by a girl. She envied May a bit for getting the boy that she had pinned after for so long unsuccessfully, but anything that made Ash happy made her happy as well, and she wanted them to have a long lasting relationship together. The visit to Cerulean City did the Gym leader well as she conversed with May about her unrequited feelings for Ash, and confessed that she was a very lucky girl.

"Make him happy, whatever you do, live happily together," were the last words the red-headed Gym leader told the coordinator.

May nodded and heeded her words. The two girls shared a compassionate hug and understood that they both cared for the young Pokemon trainer tremendously.

As Ash and May waved goodbye to her when they left the Cerulean Gym together, the Gym leader leaned against the door watching them set off. She felt a little sad, if not bittersweet about everything, but knew Ash was in good hands. That's what made her feel happy, knowing that Ash had a girl who loved him dearly and he loved her back all the same. There was a little piece of her that wished she was in May's place, sharing all that warm affection with Ash and vice versa. It almost brought a tear to her eye, but Misty, the strong-willed Cerulean Gym leader, got a hold of herself and came to the conclusion that everything worked out for the best. She watched them walk off in the distance until they disappeared from sight, and then slowly walked back inside her Gym to reconcile with her own life responsibilities.

Ash yawned lazily under the tree. He could have actually fallen asleep with how pleasant it was outside until May leaned toward his face and gave him a wake-up call.

"Ash! You look like you were about to doze off on me!" she exclaimed.

He sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. "Heehee, sorry about that," he said, chortling, "I was just thinking about some things, that's all."

"You're very tired, I can see," she said softly, rubbing his shoulder, "Sorry, I thought you were just bored of massaging me."

"How do you know that's not part of the reason?" he teased.

May smiled and climbed on top of him, resting herself on his lap and leaning her forehead against his chin. They embraced each other warmly, followed by a slow kiss as she gripped his shoulders tightly.

"Y-ou…want to rest together a little while longer?" she whispered.

She slid her lips slowly from his mouth and pressed against his chin, letting him know there was nothing wrong.

"Yea," he said, returning her affection, "I probably would have fallen asleep if you didn't just wake me."

"O-ok, let's just stay like this as we rest. You know…I just want to feel you there as I sleep," she said, sliding her head to his shoulder, "It's very comforting to know you're always going to be there for me."

He leaned himself back to the trunk of the tree but kept May in his possession, she continued to stay comfortable on his lap, leaning against his chest. Their Pokemon were playing in the distance, far enough for the two to relax together without being disturbed.

"Ash."

"Hm? What?" he answered bluntly.

She hesitated and spoke slowly. "I was just wondering…about what happened today in town…"

"This is going to be about Precita, isn't it?" he asked.

"Well…yes," she said, biting her lower lip. "Um, I know I told you not to confront her, but I was wondering what you thought of me after that."

"What do you mean?"

"Do…do you ever think less of me sometimes because I don't stand up for myself?"

"What? Ugh…that's crazy. May, you know I never think any less of you for that," he said, "You're the one who always stopped me from potentially getting us into trouble when I get angry because Precita says those mean things about you, but I don't think any _less _of you because of it. If anything, you do the right thing, and keep me out of trouble as well. Sometimes just walking away and ignoring someone is the best thing to do."

"Yeah, but sometimes I wonder if that just makes me somewhat of a coward," she said, "You know, sometimes I feel bad because I don't have the courage to stand up for myself."

"May, c'mon…"

She shook her head airily. "You would think that after what happened with Ross that someone like Precita would have seemed so simple and minor by comparison, yet I still feel discouraged when things like this happen. Sometimes I wonder if just walking away _isn't _the best thing to do, because it just gives Precita the incentive to criticize and make fun of me even more next time we meet. If…if I ever stand up for myself, maybe she wouldn't bother us anymore."

"Hey, you know nobody will ever bother you while I'm around," Ash said determinedly.

"And that's another point, Ash, I'm too dependent on you a lot of the time too. It's something I've never quite been able to overcome, but even when I start to feel good about myself and think I have enough confidence, I'm always knocked back down into reality when something bad happens again, such as Precita showing up and embarrassing me in front of a whole crowd of people. It's a terrible feeling, and even after the Ross situation the other things that _should _feel insignificant…aren't."

She kissed him softly before she continued, and kept her hands placed on his shoulders, facing each other just inches apart.

"Maybe that's why I got so carried away with wanting to beat her with Blaziken at the tournament today, it really looked like I could have probably put her in her place for good. I didn't think she would be able to take losing to me in front of a whole crowd too well, and I think that would have shut her up for good. But…I kinda screwed up, and Blaziken ended up receiving blows instead of delivering them…"

"Which was why…" he edged her on.

"…which is why I decided to forfeit. It was hard to say those words, it really was. Especially with someone like Precita savoring the fact that I quit in front of her. Now that I'm thinking back about it, I'm not sure if quitting made me look even more vulnerable to her or not. Yet at other times, I get annoyed with myself for giving a damn what she thinks in the first place."

"I think you had it right the first time," Ash said, staring into her sapphire eyes, "It doesn't really matter. You're May, not Precita's rag doll. She says really mean things and you may walk away and even get me to walk away without starting something, but I gotta say, I guess that's one of the reasons I love you. You don't fall for her tricks."

"Heh, don't say sappy stuff like that, Ash, it sounds so stupid," May said, chortling.

"Why, because it's true?" Ash asked, grinning.

"Yeah, it sounds really dorky," she said, smirking.

"It did make you smile though."

"I…I know."

"That's what you were looking for, wasn't it? Something to make you smile?"

"Ash, you're…" May trailed off, trying to hide her chuckles.

"Yeah, that was what you wanted. Mission accomplished then, right?" Ash asked, "You were never a coward, you're just May. And it made you smile."

"Ash, I told you to stop talking like that, it sounds silly," she said.

"You're the one who brings this stuff up!" Ash said, playfully wresting with her hands.

"And sometimes I wish I didn't, because the way these things end are always too corny for my tastes," she said, laughing as she wrestled him to the ground.

"You were just looking for a reason to smile, of course!" Ash exclaimed.

May rested on top of him and kept him pinned to the ground.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she teased, silencing him with a kiss as their mouths intertwined.

_I'll never say this out loud, _May thought, as she was busy controlling the kiss, _But, Ash, you try way too hard to find ways to be sweet-talk me. You come out sounding really corny sometimes, but hey, I guess that's the reason I love you so much. _

~*~*~*~

The couple continued their way through town, casually looking at the storefront windows and enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of the town. It was a sharp contrast to Petalburg City, which was a busy metropolis with sprawling skyscrapers and tons of entertainment venues. Ash enjoyed the simplicity of the small houses and privately owned shops, it reminded him a lot of his hometown in Pallet.

"The Shinou region sure does have a lot of nice merchandize," May said, dreamily staring at the clothing in the storefront windows.

"They have a lot of dresses too, I suppose they're for coordinators," Ash said.

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked.

"Yeah, Pikachu, I heard the female coordinators in Shinou like to dress up before they enter into Contests," Ash said.

"Wow, that's weird," May said, peering back at Ash, "I can't imagine myself sporting a dress every time I run out on stage. Those dresses are really pretty but I can see it distracting me too much from my performance."

"I wonder if the Gyms here in Shinou have different rules too," Ash pondered, "Hm, I guess we'll find out when we get there, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"Man, now I'm starting to worry," May said, "What if wearing dresses is mandatory in Contests in this region? What if I HAVE to buy one or they won't let me perform?"

"I sure hope not, because we don't have enough money to buy one of those dresses!"

"Well I could always ask my Mom and Dad for some cash, although I suppose its best not to bother them now. I promised my parents I wouldn't have my mind on them now that I'm finally traveling again, I don't want Mom to start thinking that I'm worrying about her again," she said, chuckling.

While Ash and May were walking, a flash of light emitted from inside May's fanny pack. They turned around quickly to see that Skitty had let itself out of its Pokeball.

"Nyaaaa!" Skitty chimed.

"Skitty! Why'd you let yourself out?" May asked.

"Nyaaa Nyaaa!"

Skitty then darted between May's legs and started to run down the sidewalk. Ash and May were perplexed as it scampered away from them.

"Hey! Skitty, wait!" May called out.

"Let's run after it or we may end up losing it!" Ash cautioned her.

"Right," May said, as she and Ash chased after Skitty.

A young girl of about 10 years of age exited a store with a shopping bag filled with dresses. She had a cute smile and long blue hair with hair clips on her bangs. She wore a white snowcap on her head and was dressed in a black V-neck shirt and a short pink skirt with matching pink boots.

"Heehee, now I'll have plenty of dresses to wear at my Contests," the girl said happily.

"NYAAAA!" Skitty screamed.

"Wha?" the girl gasped.

Skitty ran right between the girl's legs which ended up tripping her. She yelped as she fell on her side and dropped the bag with clothes on top of Skitty's head.

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her bottom.

Skitty struggled to get the bag off its head but the dresses were way too heavy for it to remove.

"Um, what in the world was that?" she pondered, picking up the bag off of Skitty.

"Nyaaaa," Skitty purred.

"A…Skitty?" she pondered.

"SKITTY!" May screamed from across the road.

The young girl stood herself back up and picked her bag of clothes off the ground. May and Ash approached them and quickly caught their breaths. May snatched Skitty off the ground and reprimanded it.

"C'mon, Skitty, you _know _you shouldn't run away from me like that," May scolded. She looked at the awfully confused blue-haired girl in front of her. "I'm awfully sorry for my Skitty, I apologize for it knocking you down."

"Heh, its ok, really," the girl said, "I was just a little startled by it, that's all."

"I'm relieved, Skitty can go a little screwy sometimes," May said, smiling. She took out her Pokeball and returned Skitty back inside.

Ash noticed the bag filled with dresses. "Hey, are you a Pokemon coordinator?" Ash asked.

"Wha? How did you know that?" she asked.

"Your bag, it's filled with dresses that I've heard coordinators have to wear in the Shinou region," Ash said, pointing.

"Oh, well that was a dead giveaway, I guess," she said, "Yeah, I'm a coordinator…or at least I _want _to be one. I haven't entered a Contest yet but I want to be a coordinator and follow in my mothers footsteps. My name is Hikari, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, my name is May."

"And I'm Ash!"

"Pika!"

"If you don't mind me asking, Hikari, do all coordinators _have _to wear dresses in Shinou's Contests? I'm planning on entering them myself and I'm awfully curious."

"Oh, not really," Hikari said, "It's optional really. I choose to wear them because I want everyone to see how good I look during my appeals with my Pochama."

"See, May? I guess you don't have to worry about wearing them after all," Ash said.

"That's another relief," she said.

"If you don't mind me asking, if you're a coordinator too can I see some of your other Pokemon?" Hikari asked, "Your Skitty is awfully cute, but what about your others?"

"Heehee, I have a whole bunch. Like my Squirtle, Eevee, Beautifly, Blaziken…."

"You have a Blaziken?!" Hikari gasped, "It wouldn't be that _same _Blaziken that lost in that battle early this morning would it?"

May and Ash glanced at each other. "Yeah, it was," May said, sadly, "You must have been there then."

"Actually, no, I wasn't exactly there but I heard what happened in the match due to the gossip in the town," Hikari said, "People were saying how some Gym leaders' daughter from Hoenn…"

May shook her head and turned around. "Stop, I don't need to hear anymore," she said.

"Huh, but I didn't get to finish!" Hikari said, confused.

"I know, but it's probably bad stuff. Let me guess, all those people were talking about how much I sucked, right? That despite being a Gym leaders' daughter I couldn't even win a match? I wouldn't be surprised if Precita spread a bunch of bad rumours about me," May said, discouraged.

"What? No way!" Hikari exclaimed, "You have it all wrong! People weren't talking about how _bad _you were, they were talking about how excellent your battle was and that you put up an admirable fight."

"…really?" May asked, looking relieved.

"Yeah, people were saying that despite being shocked that you actually gave up, they understood that you didn't want to put your Blaziken into a bad situation or force it to continue battling when it was in pain. People totally respected you for that, and were actually making negative comments about your opponent, Precita, for mocking you in front of everyone. People booed and hissed her off stage after her comments."

"I…didn't know that," May said, cracking a smile. _Anything _negative to happen to Precita was a positive in her books.

"Wow, that's interesting," Ash said, "We left quickly so we didn't know what went on. I'm glad the townspeople were on May's side."

"I am too," May said, smiling.

"Heh, I'm glad I set the record straight," Hikari said, "If you ever have a rematch with that girl again, I'm sure you'll win."

"Th-thanks," May said, nodding.

_She made her smile, _Ash thought, _Looks like May probably made herself a new Contest rival in Hikari. It seems like the Shinou region is going to be a nice place after all. _

~*~*~~*

The thunderstorm was in full swing as oceans and oceans of rain poured from the sky and drenched the town below. The sky crackled and burst with loud and ominous sounds of thunder, the sounds so fierce that it set off car alarms instantly and scared all wild Pokemon into their burrows. Rapid and glorious streaks of lightning filled the night sky, sometimes even brightening up even the darkest night for just a few moments. The grass and city streets below were flooded in about two feet of water, many of the storm drains were too clogged up to accept the heavy rainstorm from the heavens above.

All the townspeople were huddled up inside their homes during the fierce storm, but as they usually defied the ordinary by being out despite the signs of rain that were coming, Ash and May were running as fast as they could in the storm to find shelter indoors right away. Their clothes were drenched and their hair was soaked and plastered down on their faces, but the two had to bear with it as they ran indoors to a public Pokemon Center.

The front doors slid open as Ash and May desperately ran toward the nearest couch in the lobby and plucked themselves down. They gasped and moaned over being caught in the storm, while Ash and May both insulted each other over deciding to spend their time outdoors when they knew a heavy storm was brewing. Neither of them knew the rain would come down so fast, but considering neither of them had an umbrella, it was a predicament neither wanted to be consumed in. Pikachu shook its coat of yellow fur to relieve itself of being soaked and ended up sprinkling all the excess water on the two trainers who had to shield their eyes from the water.

"Pikachu, don't you think we're wet enough already?" Ash bantered, covering his face with his arm.

"Yeah, quit it already!" May added.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu shrieked, finally jumping down from the couch.

"Ash, you should have known better. The Shinou region is far up North, they have a lot of heavy rain and snowfall here," May said, "We should have bought some warmer clothes or an umbrella or something, I'm totally soaked!"

"So am I, but you don't see me whining about it," Ash moaned. He took his hat off his head and examined it. "My hat looks totally drenched, I hope it's not ruined."

"Oh, it would be a shame if it was," she said disappointingly, "I bought that Pikachu silhouette hat for you as a gift. I wanted you to keep it forever."

Ash bent the brim of the hat and looked at it from all sides, and then placed it down on the couch next to him. Pikachu frowned as it looked like the hat had seen better days, especially since it also fell in the mud on the way to the Pokemon Center due to the fierce wind.

"Its ok, May, even if it doesn't look so great right now, I'll definitely keep the hat," Ash said, "I'll never throw out anything you bought me, I appreciate it a lot."

May placed her hands on her drenched shorts and looked at Ash admirably. "That's awfully sweet, Ash. I didn't forget the things you bought me either, I still have the Skitty/Torchic bikini from Atona beach in my fanny pack. Even though there aren't many beaches here in Shinou, I made sure to bring it with me before I left Petalburg. I can still remember how much money and energy you sacrificed to try and win that surfing competition and get me the swimsuit, and even though we lost, you still went out of your way to get it for me by other means," she said, looking at him alluringly, "You know, considering we're soaked, I wouldn't mind wearing that bikini when we sleep tonight. I'll let you hold me around in the bikini as we rest together, is that a deal?"

Ash blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Erm, ok!" he blurted out quickly, "That seemed to come out of nowhere though!"

"Heh, not really," she said, flicking her wet hair to the side, "I was just thinking about Atona beach, and how we shared our first kiss there together. It was really magical, don't you think?"

"I…remember," Ash said, thinking fondly of that moment. "Our first kiss was really awkward, I didn't know what to do…but I…liked it."

"Heehee, you were a terrible kisser back then, especially during our first kiss, but I didn't say anything because I knew you were new at it," May teased.

"Hey, it's not like you had any experience before either!" Ash bantered.

"Maybe not, but when you watch a lot of romance on television, you get to see how all the actors do it! I used that as my blueprint, anyway," May chuckled.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu moaned.

"Pikachu, we're not boring you with this conversation, are we?" Ash asked happily.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu shook its head.

"Pikachu, you're such a liar," she mused, "You know even you get grossed out sometimes over the stuff we say to each other. I admit we're both awfully cheesy sometimes, but I don't think we can help it."

"Pikachu, pika, pika," Pikachu said, rolling its eyes.

"We did come a long way from that first kiss though, it's amazing to think of everything that's happened since then," Ash said.

"Yeah, and I know our parents would totally kill us if they knew even half the things we do with each other nowadays," she said, "Of course Pikachu is the only one who knows, but you promised to keep your lips sealed, remember?"

"Pikachu," it said, nodding. It jumped back on the couch and onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu, you're the best," Ash said, rubbing its head. "In any case, want to go get a room now that we're here in the Pokemon Center? Might as well not stay out here in the lobby with soaked clothes. Not to mention you said something about changing into your…"

"…the bikini?" she answered, "Heehee, sure thing, Ash. Gee, you seem awfully pushy. This is the first time I've seen you edge me on into wearing a bathing suit for you."

"Never mind, you were the one who suggested it in the first place, I was just reminding you," he said.

"Riiiiight," May said sarcastically, "All the time you spent traveling with Brock must have rubbed off on you, there's a little bit of Brock-ness in you from time to time."

Ash groaned as May prepared to get up to see about getting a room, until a woman in a tight white shirt and jeans with long black hair blocked her path and the young girl fell back down into her seat.

"You two look like drowned rats, and I swear the stench is overbearing," the woman said.

"Precita!" May exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

_Great, _Ash thought, _I sure hope this doesn't lead to trouble. _

"What does it look like I'm doing here? It's a Pokemon Center, I'm staying here for the night. I hope this does not shock you that much," Precita sneered, flicking her dark black hair behind her shoulder.

May felt her nose twitching, and that usually meant trouble. She tried to remain calm however and spoke regularly.

"Well, is that all you came over here to tell me? If you don't mind getting out of my way, I'd like to get a room," May said, pushing Precita aside and walking toward the counter.

Precita watched her talk with Nurse Joy about getting a room and snorted. She turned toward Ash and Pikachu who were still sitting on the couch.

"You really like that girl, don't you?" Precita asked.

"Of course I do. I love her," Ash responded, "And I don't like it when you say those mean things to her. Stop bothering her, seriously, she can get emotional enough as it is without you making things worse."

"So I see," Precita said, crossing her arms, "I overheard you two reminiscing about Atona beach and the surfing Pokemon race, and I couldn't help but come to the conclusion that you two were remembering how I defeated you at the end of the race."

"Actually, no, we weren't thinking about you at all really," Ash said, "We were talking about the _good _things we want to remember about our time there. Not you and your Sharpedo taking chomps out of our surfboard and making us lose."

"That's swell, but at least you two are still together," Precita said, sadly, "You surfed as a couple during the race and you're still a couple now, you must be loyal to her."

"Definitely, I'd never do anything to hurt May, ever. She was one of my closest friends before we started dating each other, and now I love her so much that I can't bear to think of the thought of her being gone anymore. I was actually traveling alone for a little bit, while she was still at home with her parents, and the whole time I was by myself I was thinking of her and when she'd finally start traveling with me again," Ash confessed, "She's been through a lot lately and nearly lost her mother to a psychotic kidnapper, and she just came from seeing a psychiatrist with her mother to help her set things straight again. I don't want her to go through that sadness ever again, and I promise to be there for her always. She doesn't deserve it, not her, she deserves to be happy and treated with respect, something you don't do."

Precita chuckled and stepped away, turning to him slightly to give one last remark.

"Nice speech, kid, I enjoyed it. Hmm, so that's what it takes to be happy, huh? She needs a strong man in her life that she can rely on and love," Precita said, looking depressed, "Too bad I didn't realize that when I ended up pushing Dan away from me, but I suppose now I know."

"Erm, so that Dan guy is no longer with you? I guess that figures," Ash said.

"No. And I tried to make a name for myself by becoming a trainer but that's not working out too well either. Anyway, if your girlfriend wants a rematch with me sometime in the future, let me know," Precita said.

"A rematch?"

"Yes. I wanted to finish our battle today but she forfeit," she said.

"So you want to humiliate her in front of a crowd again? I don't think so," Ash said angrily.

"No, it'll be a private match indoors away from people. I got scorned by the townspeople for ridiculing a Gym leaders' daughter in public, I'm not making that mistake again. Too bad I didn't know she was Norman's daughter back on Atona beach, I may have thought of her differently back then. I want to finish a battle with her, and see if I can win to the end. I promise, no tricks, no pulls, no strings. Just a one on one battle, whaddya say?"

"She'll have to decide if she wants to battle you, not me. It's her choice, but I wouldn't be surprised if she turns you down," Ash said.

"If she does, she'll never be able to settle the score with me then. Does she really want that?"

Ash was silent.

"I thought so. Let her know I want to battle her tomorrow morning. We can settle this rivalry once and for all," she said.

Precita walked off with her arms crossed, as Ash and Pikachu pondered over if they should tell May what she said or not.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea, Pikachu," Ash said.

"Piiikachu, pika," Pikachu replied.

"Either way, I won't let Precita make fun of May again. She's my girlfriend, Pikachu, nobody should talk about her like that. Besides, if they do battle, I think May might just come out on top. I guess that would give May all the satisfaction she needs."

"Pika."

"And I'm sure that would make her smile," Ash said, "She needs to smile every so often, and I'm sure winning a battle against Precita would bring a huge one that we'd never forget."

"Chuuuu," Pikachu agreed.

"She just needs to keep smiling, and be happy," Ash said, cracking a smile of his own as he patted Pikachu on the head.


	50. The Beginning of The End

**Chapter 50  
****  
****"The Beginning of The End"  
**  
"I think I'm ready," she said, strapping her fanny pack around her waist.

"You think you're ready, but do you _know _you're ready?" he asked.

"I…I suppose so. I feel better prepared for it this time than last time, at any rate."

"That's good to know. I want you to do really good in this battle, May, you'll be able to prove to Precita that you're a worthy opponent."

"I really shouldn't have to prove anything to her," May said, looking back at her reflection in the mirror, "I'm not interested in changing Precita's opinion of me, because I know that whatever happens down there today, I'll never change my opinion of her. Her claws were already dug too deep and they left their mark, I'm afraid they'll never go away. The only reason I agreed to this battle in the first place was because…I just want the satisfaction of beating her. Just beating her once, that's all I really want."

"Is that really all there is to it?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," she said, nodding. "I don't know why I have such a strong urge to beat her, it's not really something I usually strive to do, but after the grief she's caused me in the past, I just want to see the look on her face when someone she hates puts her in her place. When she won the surfing competition, she rubbed in the fact that she won those 15 different swimsuits that I wanted so much. She deliberately made sure I was watching her during the award ceremony when she was on stage changing into the swimsuits. She knew how sad I felt and she took the opportunity to make me feel even worse. Not to mention what just happened yesterday in front of the crowd of people here in Shinou, she seems to enjoy rubbing her wins in my face."

"Yeah, but you can't get carried away with this if you do beat her. You know I don't want you turning into another Precita," Ash joked.

"Heh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. Ash Ketchum fell in love with a coordinator from Hoenn, me, and there's no way I can change into someone else. But if I do win, hey, there's nothing wrong with a little gloating, right?" she asked, snickering as she stuck out her tongue.

Ash walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as she smiled warmly upon his affection. He held her in his embrace as the couple stared in the mirror together and swayed back and forth.

"I wouldn't love you any less either way," he said, kissing her softly on the cheek.

She breathed heavily and fondly squealed as she let herself sway in Ash's hold, leaning her head back a tad as the mirror captured their happiness.

"Hm, about the battle, you're not going to push your Blaziken overboard this time like the last time, are you?" he asked.

"Oh of course not, I'll never force Blaziken to keep fighting if I know its hurt. I made some stupid mistakes on the battlefield last time that caused Blaziken some damage, and I'm not going to make that mistake again," she said.

"Good, because there's nothing wrong with taking a defeat if you really can't win, you know," he said.

"Gee, Ash, you almost don't sound like yourself there," she said, turning around and facing him. "What happened to the, "never give up" attitude that you always used to tell me back when we first met in Hoenn?"

"There's a difference between never giving up what you believe in and giving up when you know it's for the well being of your Pokemon," he said, "I…admit, I used to make the same mistakes with Pikachu a lot in the past. I was too stubborn and refused to give up in many of my Gym battles, and because of that Pikachu ended up getting far more hurt than it would have when I lost. If…I just took a loss more easily than maybe I wouldn't have had to rush Pikachu and my other Pokemon to the Pokemon Center all the time when they lost. I pushed them too hard…and they ended up getting hurt because of it. It's a terrible feeling to know you did that to your Pokemon, your best friends and companions."

"I see, and I'll be sure to keep that in mind if things look grim for Blaziken out there," she said, "Thanks for that tidbit, Ash, you…really have grown a lot."

Ash chuckled. "That's pretty funny, coming from you," he said.

"You may have been the one mentoring me and teaching me everything I needed to know to be a trainer over the years, but you're not the only one who has been keeping an eye on the growth of another."

"Um, you mean…?" he pondered.

"Yea, Ash, I've been watching you grow, too," she said fondly, "I haven't turned a blind eye to your progress in Hoenn, or when you took down all the Brains in the Battle Frontier. I enjoyed watching you improve too."

"I see we both have kept an eye on each other after all this time," he said, smirking.

"Indeed we have," May said, leaning contently against the dresser. She hesitated and spoke softly. "Too bad it took us as long to realize it as we did."

They silently agreed with one another, both acknowledging the mutual interest in each other that they could have shared much earlier than when it transpired.

Ash turned in the bedroom as his eyes wandered aimlessly, knowing that it would be better to focus on something else than old regrets. His eyes came across the alarm clock and the time it was currently.

"We still have an hour before the match begins in Aticerp Sesol hall, I think that's a small building for practice matches just a few blocks away from the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy told me that trainers have practice battles there all the time to brush up on their skills, so Precita must have reserved the arena just for you and her to battle in. Since it's a public stadium, I guess we don't have to worry about any rigged arenas or anything," Ash said.

"Nah, cheating isn't Precita's style," May said, getting up from the dresser, "She just likes to win the most vicious way she can and make you feel terrible after she rubs her win in your face, but she isn't a cheater. She may be an arrogant, scheming, egotistical, diabolical bitch goddess from hell, but nah, she doesn't tend to cheat."

Ash nodded. "Well in any case, we still have an hour to go before the match. Anything you want to do to kill some time?"

May took his arm and wrapped herself around it, hugging him gently. "Well…we could just stay here…just the two of us. Pikachu is being healed with your other Pokemon with Nurse Joy, so we'd…be all alone," she said lovingly, "You…you could tell me a story."

May brought Ash down to the side of the bed with him, they were both lounging closely together. "What kind of story?" he asked.

"You could tell me about your first day as a trainer again, that one always gets a chuckle out of me," she said, smiling.

Ash chortled. "You mean about how Pikachu didn't listen to a word I said and how I got chased by a flock of Spearow?"

"Yeah, and how you threw a rock right at a Spearow's head thinking it was a Pidgey and ended up having it call the flock after you, hehee, that always cracks me up," she snickered, rolling in the bed toward him, "I like hearing your early travel stories before we met, tell me them."

They were leaning side by side and face to face apart, she had her hand on his shoulder as they rested contently.

"All of them?" he asked.

"As many as you can," she said, "Before we have to leave."

"Should I tell you ones that make you laugh or ones that interest you?"

"Either," she said, "Anything about you interests me regardless."

She inched her face toward him and kissed him softly. They spent the majority of that intimate hour kissing instead of telling stories, but May didn't mind, they had an eternity together to share the tales.

~*~*~*~

The battle arena in Aticerp Sesol hall was a pretty standard battlefield. The ground consisted of smooth pavement where the terrain wouldn't give any type of Pokemon an advantage over the other. Neither side would be able to use the surroundings to their advantage as there wasn't anything to work with, it would be a fair battle to test the strengths of the two opposing trainers and their Pokemon till the end.

The hall was empty aside from Ash, Pikachu, May and Precita. Ash and Pikachu stood to the side as May and Precita walked toward one another to shake hands before the match. May could barely tolerate shaking hands with Precita, but it was an act of good faith for the upcoming battle.

May looked up at Precita as they shook hands, noticing that she had a smirk on but nothing too convincing otherwise. Their hands came into contact with one another and Precita had a firm grip as she squeezed her hand, shaking it up and down.

"I look forward to this match," Precita said.

"I do as well, Precita," May said, "I trust it'll be a good one?"

"Only if you don't decide to forfeit halfway through like you did the last time. I look forward to this match having an ending and a clear victor as well," Precita said, snorting.

They separated their hands from one another and May looked at her cautiously.

"I'll go as far as my Pokemon are willing to go, but I can make no promises otherwise," she said.

"A pity. Considering you're likely to lose again, I'd like to see you go down as something other than a coward," Precita said, "I like to savor my victories, and I cannot do that if you quit before the match is done. I would appreciate it if you don't show me an example of your cowardice once more."

"Don't say that word again, I don't like it," May said discouragingly, "I am what I am and I'll do what I do if you don't mind."

"Tch. Suit yourself," Precita scoffed, "I reserved this battlefield to decide which one of us was the better woman. This battle should decide that."

May and Precita walked to their trainer boxes on the opposite ends of the battlefield, both glaring at each other as a barrage of infuriating thoughts ran through both their minds.

"That's fine with me," May said, "Since I plan to win, it'll be great to see you finally take a defeat with some dignity, rather than acting like a sore winner all the time."

"Heh, good one. I get great satisfaction letting you know which one of us is superior, and I'm afraid that when I win, it will be the same outcome as always," Precita said, snickering, "But don't feel bad, do your best, May, I'm looking forward to a grand performance."

"I'll give you a performance you'll never forget," May said, grinning, "I'm not scared of you anymore. I have more important things that concern me than your poor intimidation tactics."

"Good luck, May!" Ash called out.

May broke her concentration on Precita as she looked contently at her boyfriend. He was sitting on a bench on the side of the arena with Pikachu next to him. She nodded at him and blew him a playful kiss.

"Thank you, Ash," she said happily.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu said encouragingly.

"You too, Pikachu!" May said happily, waving to the little electric Pokemon.

Precita shook her head with a devious smile as she turned to Ash.

"Hey, why don't you act as the referee for this match?" Precita called out to him.

"Me?" Ash asked, "Why?"

"We need one, don't we?" Precita responded, "Besides, I'm sure your precious May will feel more content with a judge that she knows good and well."

"Yeah, Ash, go ahead and be the referee!" May said encouragingly, "I see no harm in it."

"Um, ok then," Ash said. He looked over at Pikachu and patted its head. "You watch from here, ok, Pikachu?"

"Pika," Pikachu said, nodding.

Ash walked over to the referee square at the middle of the battlefield. He looked at both participants in their trainer boxes, and knew both of them were eager to start the match right away.

"See, May? I'm letting your boyfriend referee the match. Things seem to be in your favor, don't they?" Precita insinuated.

"He'll be impartial, I know he wouldn't want me to win something that wasn't real," May said, "As long as this battle is fair and square, it doesn't matter to me."

_It'll be fair and square alright, _Precita thought, _But she won't be leaving this building without her Pokemon beaten to the ground and whatever false hope she ever had of beating me smashed into a million pieces. I am the better woman, whether she still has a boyfriend is not the issue. Nobody, nobody outclasses me. I am the model, and she is the outcast. Being a Gym leader's daughter doesn't make her anything special. I'm going to enjoy breaking her, just like I did at the beach nearly a year ago. _

_Ok, this is it. I know I need to win this battle to make Precita shut up for good, _May thought, _Her superiority complex has gone up to disturbing levels, and it's time to show her what I'm made of. She's weak and insecure behind that tough exterior, and I'm going to exploit it. Blaziken, I'm counting on you. _

"Ok," Ash announced, "This is going to be a one on one battle between May and Precita. No time limit. The battle will end either by forfeit or one of the trainers Pokemon being defeated. Trainers, release your Pokemon now!"

"Blaziken!" May shouted, twirling as she threw the Pokeball, "Take the stage!"

The light from the Pokeball formed into her starter Pokemon, Blaziken. The fire-type warrior roared as it appeared on the battlefield, its hands emitting bursts of fire as it raised its fists and its agile legs stretched apart to form a fighting pose. The Pokemon had the proud spirit of a fighter, and this time pride was on the line as well. It knew it was defeated by the same trainer before, and it promised May that it would work hard to beat her this time.

"Blaziken, again I see," Precita said, "I'll use the same Pokemon as last time too then, Exploud, come crush your opponent!"

A light blue Pokemon Exploud formed on the opposite end of the battlefield. It had a huge gaping mouth that hung open with only four teeth on each corner of its mouth, and several tubes that emitted air all over its head and back. It used the sound generating tubes on its body to release steam, bellow, and to generate tremors along the ground. Its red eyes and menacing gaze gave May and Blaziken the same impression as the first time they saw it during their previous battle; it was definitely a powerful and ferocious Pokemon.

"The match is between May's Blaziken and Precita's Exploud," Ash announced, "Are the trainers ready?"

"You bet!" May said.

"Definitely," Precita added.

"Alright then, let the battle begin!" Ash shouted.

"Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!" May commanded.

Blaziken leaped from its position almost immediately and darted toward its opponent. It was nearly on top of the Pokemon when it delivered its fist toward its target. Exploud used both its burly arms to block his face and shielded itself from taking heavy damage from the punch. The contact made slight ripples through the air and Exploud was knocked backward without its feet ever leaving the ground. The floor cracked and broke upon Exploud sliding back, but the Pokemon kept its face shielded the whole way through.

"Exploud, use Hyper Voice!" Precita shouted.

It removed its hands from its face and opened its mouth as wide as it could. The tubes on its body were generating high levels of steam as it prepared to bellow. May knew what was coming as this is how she was caught off guard the last time they battled.

"Blaziken, get out of there, quick!" she shouted.

Blaziken nodded and somersaulted backward to get as far away from its opponent as possible. Exploud shrieked as the sound waves generated from its interior. The entire room was encompassed by the high-pitched scream, it was so intense that the floor completely split apart in front of it and turned into nothing but gravel. Ash and Pikachu had to cover their ears from the loud scream, but neither May nor Precita would flinch since they had to keep their full concentration on the battle they each wanted to win so much.

"Blaze…" Blaziken moaned as it covered its ears with its hands.

"Endure the pain, Blaziken, like I am," May suggested, "You got really hurt last time because Exploud struck you in the chest while you were still covering your ears from the Hyper Voice attack. Don't let it catch you off guard this time."

"Exploud, use Mega Punch while you scream!" Precita commanded.

"Blaziken, avoid Exploud at all costs!" May shouted.

Blaziken saw Exploud running toward it with a glowing arm ready to strike, along with the ground tearing in two because of its voice. The ground along Blaziken's feet started to crumble and it knew that if it stayed still it would end up being caught off balance in the crumbled floor and be at the mercy of Exploud's wrath.

"Blaze…BlAZEKIN!" it roared.

It opened up its beak and fired a flamethrower attack from its mouth toward the ground. The fire propelled Blaziken into the air quickly enough so that Exploud's attack made contact with the ground instead of its body.

"Missed it, damn," Precita muttered.

Before Exploud could turn around and before May ordered an attack, Blaziken quickly shot back down toward Exploud with a Mega Kick attack. Its foot smashed right into Exploud's back and sent it flying across the room. The Pokemon shrieked in pain but this time the sound wasn't part of its destructive Hyper Voice attack.

"That was a good move, it got Exploud before it even saw it coming," Ash complimented.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"Heehee, that's right Blaziken, if you see an opening then go for it," May said excitedly, "Let your own instincts as a fighting Pokemon guide you if I'm not quick enough to call an attack."

Exploud slid across the pavement face first with gravel falling on top of its entire body. Precita scorned the Pokemon for getting knocked down so carelessly and demanded it get up immediately. Exploud picked its face from the dirt and after pushing some rocks and gravel off its body, it was ready to continue the battle.

"Exploud," the Pokemon grunted angrily.

"Blazekin, Flamethrower, let's go!" May commanded.

Blazekin blasted its opponent with wave after wave of fire which consumed it entirely. The Pokemon could barely move with the intense wave of heat it was being subjected to.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, use your Hyper Voice to get rid of the fire!" Precita shouted angrily.

"Exxxxxxxxxploooooooooooooooooud!" it yelled.

The sound waves from its body were so strong that it completely disintegrated the fire it was consumed by.

"Damn, Blazekin, use Flamethrower again!" May shouted desperately.

"Blazekin!" the Pokemon roared, firing another wave of fire at full force.

Exploud however didn't stop bellowing, and this time the wave of fire didn't even come in contact with its skin. Instead, the shockwave blew the entire attack _back _toward its creator and inflicted damage upon it instead. Blazekin was taken by surprise by its own attack being recoiled so quickly that the flames, while not hurting it too much because it was a fire type itself, ended up knocking it down flat on its back.

"Now while you have it on the ropes, jump toward it and use Stomp!" Precita commanded.

Exploud leaped in the air and delivered a devastating blow to Blazekin's chest as its heavy foot smashed down on top of it. Blaziken gasped in pain, it was so intense that saliva flew out of its mouth and its eyes bulged. Exploud didn't stop there however, it continue to crush its chest with its heavy foot and stomped it continuously in the area where Blaziken was sensitive the most.

"Ugh, May, you've got to do something or this is all over!" Ash shouted.

"I…I know!" May gasped.

"BLAZE…KIiN" it gagged as the stomps on its chest were becoming almost unbearable.

The pain didn't end. Precita refused it to end. Blow after blow was delivered consecutively on its chest that it became painful to even breathe. Exploud's foot was massive and it had no remorse as it smashed down on its battered opponent. May cringed every time she heard her Blazekin cry out in pain, each stomp sounded more painful than the last, and that amount of intense pressure to its chest could lead to serious health implications.

"You really have to be awfully stupid for using the same Pokemon that I already found a weakness to the last time we battled. Now your Blaziken will pay the ultimate price for your carelessness," Precita said, "Exploud, Hyper Beam the hell out of it until it can no longer move."

"Exploud," the Pokemon nodded, as an orange ball of light began to quickly form in its mouth.

Blaziken could see the ball getting bigger and bigger but it couldn't budge an inch due to Exploud's foot still being firmly placed on its chest. It could barely concentrate a means of escape as it was too busy gagging and waiting for the previous pain to subside.

"What am I going to do?" May asked herself, "If that Hyper beam hits then this is all over. C'mon, May, _think!_

"I'll be having cooked chicken for lunch, tasty!" Precita mused.

Exploud looked down at its prey with much contempt as it lowered the beam of light toward its face. Blazekin could already feel the heat from the energy blast as the ball was close enough to its feathers. May grinded her teeth as she desperately tried to think of a way that her Pokemon could avoid the attack. When she noticed all the dirt and gravel around Blazekin's body due to Exploud's Hyper voice attack, she finally got an idea.

"Blazekin, use Sand Attack and fast!" May shouted.

Blazekin looked to its right and quickly grabbed a clot of dirt with its hand. It then flung the dirt up toward Exploud's eyes as quickly as possible. The dirt made contact and stung terribly, so much so that Exploud wailed as it removed its foot from Blazekin's chest and staggered backward. The beam of energy was still in its mouth but now May could defend against it.

"Perfect, Blazekin, try to get up and use Overheat!" she pleaded.

Blazekin slowly tried to stand, but just like their previous battle, it had to clutch its chest with one hand due to the serious blows it had received. It arched forward on one knee as it formed a ball of fire in its mouth to counter the Hyper beam.

"Blazekin, can you keep going?" May asked.

Her Pokemon looked at her cautiously and saw her worried face. It knew that she promised not to put it into such danger again, and that if worse came to worse she would forfeit the match once more. Blaziken didn't answer.

"Blazekin, PLEASE!" May called out, somewhat uncertain, "If it's too painful to continue the battle please tell me! There's no shame in backing down!"

"EXPLOUD, get ahold of yourself!" Precita wailed at her staggering Pokemon.

Blazekin turned back toward Exploud and noticed that while it could barely stand straight and lost its sight, it still had an almost completely formed ball of Hyper beam in its mouth. Precita continued to scream at it for its incompetence.

"Blaze," it muttered. Even though the pain in its chest was still pounding, this wasn't a battle it was willing to give up.

"Blazekin…" she called out one last time.

Blazekin looked at the worried girl and nodded valiantly. The look in its eye convinced May that it was not only going to continue battling, but it was going to _finish _it as well.

"Promise me you're not just battling for my sake," May said.

"Blazekin, BLAZE!" it roared. It removed its hand from its chest and continued to form the Overheat attack in its beak.

"Th-thank you Blaziken," May said, smiling, "Use Overheat!"

"EXPLOUD, get ready to counter!" Precita quickly yelled.

"FIRE!"

"FIRE!"

The two girls shouted in unison for their Pokemon to release their attacks. While Blazekin fired its ball of fire toward its opponent, Exploud was still too busy trying to rub the dirt out of its eyes. As a result, the fire collided with the orange ball of energy in Exploud's mouth, forcing a cataclysmic explosion which blew Exploud all the way into a wall on the other side of the room. The Pokemon made a full imprint in the wall as its body stuck in the indentation.

The impact of the explosion caused Blaziken to cover its eyes completely from the emerging debris flying in the air.

"Ugh, no!" May shouted as she was being blown off her feet.

Her starter Pokemon heard her cry and quickly darted behind her, no matter how bad the pain felt, to quickly catch her as she fell into the body of her Pokemon. Blaziken braced itself on the ground and held May still with all its might, it wanted to protect its trainer more than anything.

"Th-thanks, Blazekin!" May complimented as the wind and debris blew toward them, "Hold still!"

The trainer and Pokemon braced together while Ash and Pikachu were having just as hard a time as well. Ash was completely kneeling on the ground to avoid being blown away, and Pikachu was clinging to the bench for dear life as well. Precita on the other hand was caught off guard and had nobody to come to her aid, and thus she flew backward and smacked her back against the wall next to her Exploud.

"Goddammit!" Precita cried as she made impact.

Exploud finally fell down from the indentation above and onto the ground as the shockwaves subsided. May, Blazekin, Ash, Pikachu and Precita all quickly looked at Exploud to see if it had any energy left to continue the battle.

"Ex….ploud…." the Pokemon muttered, collapsed on the ground and unable to move.

"That looks like it did it," Ash said happily, "Exploud can no longer battle, the victor is May and Blazekin! May wins the match!"

"We…we did? We…we won?" May asked sheepishly.

"Blaze, Blazekin," her Pokemon reassured her as it let go of her waist.

"We…we WON!" May gasped, finally realizing what happened.

She turned around and hugged her Blaziken tightly as she squealed and giggled. Blaziken rubbed her back happily and cheered along with its trainer.

"That was an excellent battle, May!" Ash said happily. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and chimed in with its own compliments. "Pikachu!"

"I wasn't really expecting that Overheat attack to end the match either, but I guess I shouldn't have underestimated the power of two explosive attacks," May said, "Blazekin, I'm sorry for all that pain you went through though, I should have thought of the Sand Attack technique earlier."

"Blazekin," the Pokemon uttered, telling her it had no regrets of a hard fought battle.

"THIS MATCH ISN'T OVER YET!" Precita declared hastily.

"Huh?" May gasped.

The group looked over to a disgruntled Precita who desperately tried to pick her Exploud up from the rubble. The Pokemon could barely move but Precita was trying to force it on its feet. She held it by the arm but the Pokemon weighed more than she could handle and it fell back to the ground.

"GET UP!" Precita said angrily, "We still have a battle to win!"

Exploud lie motionless and didn't utter a sound.

"GET UP, NOW!" Precita angrily demanded, "MOVE YOURSELF!"

"Knock it off!" Ash called out.

Precita looked at him hastily.

"Exploud obviously can't even move! It's knocked out, anyone can see that. Instead of yelling at your Pokemon you should probably take it to the Pokemon Center right away to get healed," Ash said, "You lost fair and square, the worst thing you could do now is take it out on your Pokemon."

"Shut up!" Precita cried, glaring at him, "I'm not done until _I _say I'm done!"

"Your _Pokemon _says who is done," May chimed, "Get over it, you lost. I guess I was right all along…you really have no dignity. You're a terrible person when you win and a terrible person when you lose. It's strange, I don't feel as satisfied or as thrilled that I beat you as I thought I would feel. It's kinda anti climatic, I don't really care that you're on your hands and knees trying to force your defeated Pokemon to still battle. All I'm happy about is what my Blaziken proved out there today."

"Blaze-Blazekin," it said happily, putting its hand on May's shoulder.

"You proved yourself beyond my expectations, Blazekin, I couldn't ask for anything else but your continued support," she said happily.

"Blazekin," it said, nodding.

_She's really matured, _Ash thought, _It's hard to believe this is the same girl with that feisty Torchic who couldn't even battle. And now she's standing here with her powerful Blaziken by her side after taking down one of her strongest opponents, it's really amazing how much growth she went through, and in so little time too. It couldn't have been just me teaching her, she must have done some serious training on her own as well. It was because of her own determination and focus that got her to where she is today. May, great job. _

"I'll let you rest as long as you want, you should feel better after resting from all that hard work you did," May said, recalling Blaziken back into its Pokeball, "Sleep well, my friend, and thank you."

She slipped her Pokeball into her fanny pack as Ash complimented her on her triumphant victory. The trainers began to walk toward the exit as Precita called out at them once more.

"Don't walk away!" she screamed, kneeling beside her fainted Exploud, "We're not through yet!"

"I am," May said, "I'm done with _you. _There's really no way else to say this to you. Your pride has been torn to shreds and you don't know how to deal with it. Keep your loss bottled up inside, as well as the feeling of inferiority you have as you kneel next to your fainted Pokemon in the dirt."

"Do you think I'm going to let you just say those things and walk off?" Precia said angrily, "I'll give you hell the next time I see your face."

"Heh, and I guess I'll just have to prove to you which one of us is greater again, won't I?" May said, cheerfully, "C'mon, Ash, let's go. I have better things to do than stare at her all day."

"Well said," Ash agreed.

The two exited the building much to Precita's dismay. She angrily walked toward a rock and kicked it as hard as she could into the wall. She was infuriated as the feelings of inferiority began to dwell on her conscious.

"Damn her," she fumed, "She's not better than me, she just isn't!"

She continued to pace the halls of the arena as she let out her rage on the rocks and debris around her.

~*~*~*~*

"It's hard to believe that this is the end," May said solemnly.

"We're not done yet, May, we have yet to go through the grand finale," Ash reassured her.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu added.

"Heh, thanks, Pikachu," May said happily, "You guys are right."

"Don't forget all we went through to get up to this point," Ash said, "I know we can do this."

"After this battle that'll be it, we'll be all done here," May said, looking at her boyfriend, "Let's win this one together, Ash."

"Sure," Ash said, smiling at her, "Pikachu, get ready!"

"Blaziken, don't lose your focus!" May shouted.

"Blaziken!"

"Pika, Pikachu!"

The crowd from the stadium seats overhead almost drowned out their voices with their loud cheering and roars. Ash and May were standing side by side on the battlefield together, with their starter Pokemon, Pikachu and Blaziken respectively, on the battlefield eager to win the match.

Ash and May had entered the double battle tournament of Shinou's Battle Tower, and thanks to their teamwork and trust in each other they managed to make it to the championship round. The stadium field was a huge oval with all the seats and crowd surrounding the intense and exciting battle in the tournament.

Their opponents were a familiar female coordinator and another red-headed female coordinator that they just met. Their Pokemon were Poottaishi, the evolved form of Pochama, who was a short and round bluish penguin looking Pokemon. The other was a gray whimsical cat with a spiral tail known as Nyaruma.

"I'm not holding back this time, Hikari!" May called out, "I hope you're ready for this!"

"Give me everything you've got, May," Hikari said happily, "Just because you have a fully evolved starter doesn't mean you're going to win. Size isn't always everything!"

"Right. Hikari is a tough gal when she gets angry, better watch out!" her female red-headed companion, Nozomi said.

"Looks like they're as eager to finish this as we are, May," Ash said to her.

"They definitely are, so let's bring this to an end!" May declared, "Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!"

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded.

Blaziken and Pikachu powered up their attacks, one charging with its agile legs and the other powering up a coat of electricity around its body.

"Blazzzzeeee!" Blaziken roared!"

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu sceamed.

Ash and May exchanged glances as they watched their Pokemon charge into what was sure to be an exciting and epic conclusion to a hard-fought battle.

~*~*~*~~*

Two more months passed. Ash currently had five Shinou Gym badges and May had two Shinou Contest ribbons. Hikari became May's full-fledged Contest rival in Shinou, and ended up being quite a formidable opponent that defeated her for a ribbon in two different Contests. May was surprised greatly at the young coordinator's skills and strength, which inspired her to practice even harder with her own Pokemon for the next time they encountered one another. The journey through the Shinou region was relatively pleasant, and Ash and May were completely at ease with traveling as a couple. May often worried about her little brother back in the Hoenn region, but she kept in touch with him over video phone frequently, and was happy to hear that he had three Hoenn Gym badges in his possession. Max would eagerly detail everything he did on his journey and all the battles he fought, while Ash, May and Pikachu would listen enthusiastically and wish him the best of luck during his journey.

Max explained how his Bulbasaur came in handy especially for the Roxanne and Wattson Gym battles, since it was a grass-type that had an advantage over the types those Gym leaders used at their respective Gyms. Ash and May were taken back when Max raised his young Bulbasaur to the video screen so they could see it, what was once a small infant Bulbasaur the size of Max's shoe had nearly doubled in size! Max and his Bulbasaur giggled happily on-screen, and he explained how his Bulbasaur had become such a strong Pokemon and was currently the best fighter on his team. Ash and May fondly recalled how determined their own two Bulbasaur were and were pleased to know their offspring served Max well.

May loved getting calls from her little brother, and was always relieved that he was doing well. Despite Max's original plan of wanting to travel with Ash when he became a trainer, he was doing quite well on his own. Ash knew that Max was using all the skills he had learned while watching him battle, and he had a great excitement for the prospect of battling Max someday when they would reunite in the future. Seeing what Max had learned and testing him in battle was something both Ash and May wanted to do.

As they were walking on the route to the next town, May's brand new PokeNav began to ring.

"Huh? What's that ringing sound?" May asked, looking around.

"It's from your new PokeNav you bought, remember?" Ash reminded her.

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot I registered a whole bunch of phone numbers on it," she said, quickly pulling her fanny pack to the side of her waist. She opened the top and took out her tan PokeNav.

"Who do you think is calling?" he asked.

"I dunno, but I'm about to find out!" she squealed.

She opened the top of the PokeNav to see her parents phone number blinking on the screen.

"Whoa, Mom and Dad called me! I haven't heard from them in over a month," she said, surprised.

"Surprised that your parents can actually call you now without thinking you're going to start worrying about them again?" Ash asked, chuckling.

"Hey!" May shouted, raising her fist, "You know I got over that a long time ago! In any case, we might as well jog over to the next town right away so I can find a phone and call them back, I wonder if it's important."

The duo started walking again as Pikachu pointed to the clearing opening up ahead.

"They probably miss you, that's all," Ash said.

"Well the last time they called me they actually asked if you were behaving correctly now that we were traveling alone," May said.

"Behaving correctly?"

"Yeah," May giggled, "They're curious about our relationship and what we're doing together. It's very awkward telling Mom and Dad about this stuff."

He suddenly became very embarrassed. "You're…you're not telling them _everything _we do together, are you?" he asked.

May shook her head and snickered. "Of course not, don't be silly. Déja vu, Ash, didn't we have this conversation once before? I only tell them that I have to be the one to initiate everything most of the time. There's one thing for sure, you're definitely not a romantic, Ash."

"Sorry, May, you know handing out roses and sitting in a candlelit dinner under the moonlight is definitely not my thing," Ash said, laughing, "Or sleeping in big fancy hotels with huge beds and everything."

"Heehee, all the better. You know I much prefer to sleep next to you in our sleeping bags out in the wilderness. At least that way we can sleep near one another without my parents going nuts, not that they'd find out anyway, but it sure beats what they'd do if they thought we were sleeping in the same bed together," she said, rolling her eyes.

"But…we do…sometimes…"

"Shhhhh!" May said quickly, putting her finger to her mouth, "That's exactly what we're _not _going to tell them. You know my parents can read me like a book, I don't want them suspecting things as they see my face on the video-screen."

"We sleep with our clothes on anyway, so it's not a big deal," Ash said.

"Yeah, but you of all people know how skimpy some of my sleepwear is," May said slyly as she blushed.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu said, sighning.

"Pikachu notices that too," Ash said, "And he's seen enough of you scantily clad as it is."

"Pikachu, pika, Pikachu!"

"Nah, Pikachu, I don't think May's going to get off the subject anytime soon," Ash chuckled.

"Pikachu's just jealous that Ash holds me around as we sleep together rather than him now, huh?" May asked jokingly, sticking out her tongue at it.

"Pikachu, pika, pika!" Pikachu chimed, readying electricity in its red cheeks.

"Heh, what Pikachu is really annoyed about is how you accidentally kick him off the bed as you sleep every night!" Ash told her.

May pushed her fingers together and spoke sheepishly as she looked at the ground. "I can't help it if I get overly fidgety as I sleep," she said, "I'm sorry about knocking you off the bed though, Pikachu, you know I don't mean it."

"Chuuu, Pika."

Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and onto May's head. May smiled and looked up at the electric Pokemon hitching a free ride on her bandana.

"I take it my apology was accepted," May chuckled.

"Yep, but uh…didn't you want to rush over to the next town to call back your parents?" he reminded her.

"Oh jeez, I almost forgot about that, and I'm still holding the PokeNav in my hand too!" May gasped, "I really should stop sidetracking myself in these silly conversations, hurry up, I'm going to run ahead to the next town and find a phone before my parents leave the house or something!"

May started running down the dirt road as fast as she could with Ash trailing behind her.

"Oh c'mon, May, like I was really the one who started this gibberish," Ash said, trying to catch up to her, "Wait up!"

Pikachu taunted its trainer, watching him try to catch up to May as it sat on her head while she ran down the road.

"Pikachu…!" it cheered.

~*~*~*~*

Ash and May found a videophone in the town's Pokemon Center and she managed to call back her parents while they were still home. Her Mom answered the phone and she talked with her daughter as Ash and Pikachu sat on the couches in the lobby and waited. May was talking feverishly with her mother on the phone, but Ash was sitting too far away to hear what was going on.

"I guess it was an important call after all, Pikachu," Ash said.

"Pikachu," it agreed.

May continued to talk excitedly on the phone for a few more minutes and then waved to Ash to tell him to come over to her.

"Ash, c'mere, quick!" May shouted excitedly.

"Alright, I'm coming," Ash said, as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and the two walked over to her.

"May, honey, there's more," Caroline said on the video screen.

"Ok, ok, ok, I know!" May said excitedly, "Let me just tell Ash the good news first!"

"You sound really excited, what happened?" Ash asked, looking at the video screen.

"Dear, I didn't get to tell you the whole story…" Caroline said hesitantly.

"It doesn't matter, Mom," May said happily. She turned to Ash and smiled. "Ash, my Mom said something wonderful has happened!"

"Something wonderful?" Ash pondered. He looked at Caroline on the phone and saw some uneasiness in her face. "Like what?"

"My Mom is pregnant!" May said ecstatically, "She and Dad are going to have another baby!"

"Whoa, really?!" Ash gasped.

"PIKACHU, Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"Isn't it amazing?!" May squealed, "I'm going to have another little brother or maybe a baby sister this time! My Mom didn't tell Max yet and boy will he be surprised when I call him later! This is just so amazing!"

"Dear…please…" Caroline pleaded.

"Wow, that is good news," Ash said smiling. He turned to her mother on the screen. "Congratulations, Caroline!"

"Th-thank you, Ash," Caroline said, nodding.

"MOM, why didn't you tell me earlier that you were already over 5 months pregnant?" May asked, "Why'd you keep it a secret for so long?"

Caroline bit her lower lip and sighed.

"C'mon, Mom, tell me already!" she squealed, giggling uncontrollably.

"Well…to tell you the truth…"

"Yeah? Go on! Go on!"

"…I wasn't exactly sure if I were keeping the baby," Caroline said sternly.

"WHAT?!" May asked, shocked.

"Did…did I hear that correctly?" Ash pondered.

"Pika?!?"

"M-om...wh-at?" she asked again, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yes, you heard correctly…but your father managed to talk me into keeping it…" Caroline continued.

"Of _course _he talked you into keeping it," an annoyed May shouted. She gripped the phone tightly and pushed her face right toward the videoscreen. "What are you crazy, Mom? This is the best thing that's happened to you in a long time! I'm so excited about having another brother or a sister that I can barely calm myself down!"

"I'm glad you are, May, your father and I discussed this pregnancy for a long time and finally decided that it would be the best to keep it. We've also decided it was finally the time to break the news to you, May, as well as Ash, and your brother," Caroline said, "But before you get carried away, there was a reason why I was unsure about this baby."

May stopped cheering and acted a bit more reasonable as she talked to her mother.

"Um…ok, I'm…calm now," May said, taking a deep breath, "But really, Mom, what's all this negativity and uneasiness about? Wasn't it joyous to find this out?"

"Yeah, I don't know a lot about this stuff but I'm happy to hear May is going to have another sibling sometime soon, it's really good news," Ash said happily.

Caroline looked sternly at the kids and sighed before taking a deep breath. Just like her mother could read her face like a book, May could read her mothers as well. She knew something was wrong.

"The reason your father and I debated about going through with the pregnancy is for a very important reason, and I need you to be mature about this, May," Caroline said.

"I understand, go on," May urged her.

Her mother hesitated again.

"This baby isn't your father's," Caroline said bluntly, "We're pretty sure its father is dead."

"Huh?" Ash asked, completely baffled.

"No…" May gasped, suddenly feeling sadness wash over her.

"I didn't want to believe it either at first, but your father and I have agreed to forget the incident ever happened and treat this baby as one of our own," she said, "He impregnated me when he kidnapped me, its father is Ross."

"Ross….?!" May gasped emotionally.

Ash was silent.

"Be strong, May, I need you to be my courageous little daughter," Caroline urged her, "I know you've been on a rollercoaster of emotions lately, but I need you to accept this as I have. Whether or not we wanted this baby, we have it, and it's going to become your new brother or sister when it's born. Be strong, please."

May nodded feverishly and wiped her wet eyes quickly.

"We're going to have a new addition to the family and we're not going to let the baby know of anything that happened in the past. It'll grow up knowing its parents like you and Max have," Caroline said, "I want you to understand this carefully, May, please don't feel mixed emotions toward this or the child. We're going to love it as one of our own."

Ash noticed the complete change in May's enthusiasm. He and Pikachu exchanged uncertain glances.

"But…but…it would only be my half-brother or half-sister, wouldn't it?" May asked meekly.

"In reality, yes, but as I said, we're not going to bring that issue up," Caroline said, "Ash, please continue to look after my daughter. I'm counting on you to help her through this if she gets emotional and needs someone to turn to in the future. You're the only person with her right now, and I trust you'll do your best to comfort her if need be."

"I…I will," Ash promised.

Pikachu lowered its ears and felt bewildered.

"M-om?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes, dear? If there's anything you want to get off your chest, please tell me," Caroline said softly.

"I…I," she stuttered, forcing out a smile, "I…just want to say I love you."

Caroline felt relieved and smiled warmly at her daughter.

"I love you too, May," she said warmly, "I'm going to go call your brother and tell him the news as well, but remember, not a word of this baby not being from your father will you tell him. I don't want him to know anything more than he has to."

"I understand, Mom," May said, breathing heavily.

"Ok, dear, I'll speak to you later, bye," Caroline said.

"Bye, Mom," she replied softly.

The videoscreen went blank and she stared at it for a few more seconds. Ash stood by her side, unsure of what to say. She was still breathing heavily and fidgeting with her hands, but she looked like she was trying to rationalize the ordeal in her head.

"Do…do you want to sit down anywhere?" he asked, "We can…just get a room and you could spend your time thinking about this there."

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu added.

She didn't say anything but continued to wipe her eyes.

"Is that ok with you, May?" he asked unsurely.

May shook her head and turned to him. She smiled fondly and walked straight into his arms, holding him tightly and rubbing her teary eyes against his shoulder.

"Hold me," she said softly.

"Are…are you sure? You don't want to sit down anywhere or anything?" he asked.

"No, Ash, just hold me," she repeated, "I just want you to hold onto me."

Ash nodded reluctantly and held her close, caressing her brown hair as they waded in the Pokemon Center lobby together. Pikachu leaped off his shoulder to allow them to hold each other passionately and stood on the floor below watching them. Passerby's were also watching the two, amused to see a young couple in love. She spoke softly to him.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she said simply.

Ash smiled and held the girl in his arms happily, not caring who would see them embracing in the public Pokemon Center. Pikachu's eyes lit up and he cooed as he watched them.

They were a pair in young love, a young Pokemon trainer from Pallet Town and a coordinator from Petalburg City. In times like this, the couple felt like all they needed was each other in order to relieve their fears, doubts, and uncertainties. Their love would pull them through several challenges they would face in the future, and although there would be plenty of pitfalls and roadblocks along the way, they would always persevere.

"I love you too," Ash said warmly.

The only sound that could be heard after that was May's squeal as her face lit up joyfully. She had her happy ending that she always dreamed of, and knew at that moment that Ash would be the boy she would love for the rest of her life.

~*~*~*~

Norman and Caroline solemnly sat on the couch in their living room together. Both had their hands folded and were looking at the floor. She suddenly looked up at her husband.

"We…we thought we got rid of him forever, but he left us a little piece of him to remember him by. We'll always be remembered of him when this child is born, we won't be able to forget the pain and heartache he inflicted upon this family," she said sadly, "His curse on us will continue long after he's dead, and this baby is the proof of his sadistic ways."

She placed her hands on her stomach and thought of the baby inside her womb.

"I'm carrying the baby of the man I killed," Caroline said softly.

"I know," Norman replied.

"In the end, he had the last laugh after all," Caroline said, beginning to sob, "He violated me and left his legacy in my body, leaving this family forever tainted with his crimes. After all was said and done, Ross won…he…won."

"I know," Norman repeated.

The mother began to sob and break down into tears as her husband put his arm around her to ease the pain.

"May was stronger than I was after all, yet she doubted herself all the time," she said emotionally, "I was always the mother trying to push her on and hide my own sadness, yet she thought it was the other way around. She needs to be happy, she needs to live a fulfilling life without any heartache like I had. She deserves to have a happy ending."

"She'll get one," Norman said, holding his wife in his arms, "Ash will make sure she gets one."


	51. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

A young teenage boy ran through the wilderness as fast as his legs would carry him. He scampered through the dense forest, brushing branches of trees and shrubs out of his path. The wood and branches nicked his legs as he tried to get through them, frantically trying to keep up with himself and not lose his breath on the way. He took his glasses off his face and held them in his hand as he ran, he knew that if he dropped them there would be no way for him to go back and get them. He saw a fallen log ahead of him and prepared to make a running jump over it, but an unforeseen fallen tree branch nicked his leg as he was making the jump.

"OUCH!" he cried as it pierced his skin.

He landed on the grass on the other side of the log but lost his balance quickly after that. He fell on his side and yelped out in pain. After moaning and groaning to himself some more, he stretched out his legs to look at the blood trickling down from where he nicked it while running.

"Damn, this hurts like hell," the boy whined, searching in his bag for anything to cover the cut with.

He didn't have long to search his bag however as he could already feel something breathing down its neck from behind.

"Dammit, its caught up to me," the boy gasped.

He put his glasses back on and brushed his jet black hair out of his eyes. His blue t-shirt stuck to his skin with sweat and his tan shorts were covered with dirt and mud. He had been running from the beast for nearly an hour, hoping to lose him in the thick foliage of the forest, but the beast kept its scent on the boy and followed him the whole way through relentlessly.

"Crap. If I'm going to go down, I might as well go down fighting," the boy said determinably, "Ivysaur, I need you!"

He threw his Pokeball into the air and called out his strongest Pokemon, the grass-type known as Ivysaur. It was the second evolution of Bulbasaur, and as such it was a bit bigger than its pre-evolved form and had a pink flower growing on the leaves on its back. Ivysaur looked back at its master and heard the upcoming roars from the forest. It assessed the situation quickly and took a defensive stance ready to protect the boy at all costs.

"Ivysaur, this could be our last stand," he warned.

"Ivysaur, Ivy," Ivysaur replied, promising to stand its ground.

"Man, how did I get myself into this mess?" he asked himself, "C'mon, Max, what would you sister think of you if she saw you in this situation?"

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur bellowed as the beast reared its ugly head from the forest.

Max, now at age 15, had gotten himself into quite a pickle. His legs were bleeding and there was nobody else for miles around that could help him. His one method of defense was his starter Pokemon, his trusty Ivysaur, to protect him from the beast. He wiped his brow nervously as its footsteps pounded the ground as it got closer.

"It'll be ok, Ivysaur, I promise, stay calm!" he called out.

"Ivy. Ivysaur," it said, its eyes swaying from side to side.

Suddenly a huge green arm emerged from the forest and struck Ivysaur harshly on its side. The Pokemon cried out painfully as it went flying through the air and smacked into a tree.

"Ivysaur!" Max called out desperately.

His Ivysaur was lying on the ground, dazed and confused. Max looked in fear at the beast but it was gone. There was nothing surrounding him but thick forest and the chrips of flying types in the air.

Hoping that their attacker had left the vicinity, Max made a dash toward his fallen Pokemon. Just as Max was a few feet away from it, Ivysaur yelled out a warning.

"IVYSAUR!" it cried, shaking its head.

"Huh?" Max gasped.

Almost immediately afterward, the beast emerged from the forest and struck Max on his back. His backpack went flying off his shoulders and the back of his shirt had tears of claw marks. He fell to the ground and his glasses flew violently off his face.

The claws managed to slash the boy through his shirt, and he cried hopelessly as he felt the sting on his back from the strike. Blood trickled down his back and stained his clothes a deadly red.

"Ivysaur, Ivy, Ivysaur!" Ivysaur cried, rushing to defend its trainer.

"No, Ivysaur, stay back!" Max pleaded, lying on the ground, "Get out of here before we both die!"

The shadow of the beast roared from behind him and he knew that this was it. Its shadow towered over them and it prepared to deliver one final strike with its arm to crush Max's spine.

"Ivysaur, Ivy!" Ivysaur said, shaking its head frantically.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Max cried.

The scent of the beast was right above him. It looked down at him menacingly. It was not going to leave without a kill. Max began to cry his regrets, knowing that there was no way he would survive this.

"Ivysaur, I'm sorry!" he cried, tears cascading down his face, "May, I apologize for that fight we had! I know we haven't spoken in two years, but I love you, big sister! Ash…I wish I could have lived up to your prestige."

The beast delivered its blow.

_Dad…I failed you. _

~*~*~*~

The bright sunshine filtered through the windows and shone down on the young couple sleeping in bed together. A young man yawned and pushed his hand through his dark hair as his Pikachu jumped off the bed and scampered into the next room to hopefully find some leftovers in his food dish. The man yawned loudly again which caused his girlfriend to sleepily bury her head in her pillow. He then brushed his hand against his face and was feeling rather rugged; he realized he really needed a shave.

He sat up in his bed and stretched some more, as well as scratched his chest under his plain white t-shirt. He noticed his girlfriend still tossing in bed and chuckled, she never could get out of bed before 9 a.m. His girlfriend wore a red bra and panties to sleep, although her unstrapped bra loosely hung off her chest because of how much they were cuddling last night. He gently pulled the covers a bit off her and tapped her shoulder.

"It's morning, you gonna get up?" he asked her.

She mumbled something into her pillow and pulled the covers back over her head.

"Guess not," he chuckled.

He got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom to shave his face. He looked at his appearance in the mirror, he had some hair on his face, although not too much that it could be called a beard. His hair style otherwise remained exactly the same as when he first started his journey with Pikachu when he was ten years old, he still had the same spiky black haircut. His girlfriend suggested that he let his hair grow long in the back so he could have a little ponytail, but he refused and wanted his hair to remain short and have the exact same style he always had since he was little. He was never one to take his time combing his hair since he always wore a hat on his head anyway, so after shaving the hair off his face, he briefly ran his hand through his head and left his same familiar hairstyle as is.

His face had broadened and he was more muscular than the skinny little boy he used to be. He still remained relatively slim however, and was only 5'7" in height. He sometimes wondered why he stopped growing at that height and didn't get bigger, especially since his friends and mentors like Brock and Professor Oak were still taller than him. His girlfriend was only 5'5" though, so while he didn't grow more inches than them, he at least finally gained a few inches over his girl.

He walked back out of the bathroom and saw his girlfriend still lying like a lump in bed. Her brown hair lie messily against the pillow and her arm dangled off the side of the bed.

"May, are you awake?" he asked.

She grunted and tried to lift her head off her pillow. She sleepily gazed around the room and brushed her brunette hair out of her eyes.

"What…time is it, Ash?" she asked tiredly.

"It's 9:30am, we slept a little late today," he said.

She looked at her boyfriend and raised her head on her pillow. She smiled at him fondly.

"I see you finally decided to shave," she said.

"Heh, well after you kept bugging me about how it itches you when we kiss, I suppose it was finally time to use that razor again. You know I hate using that thing, I forget half the time to plug it in and charge it up anyway," he said, chuckling.

May lifted the covers off her body and stood up on the floor. She removed the bra which was dangling off her chest and left it on her bed. She stretched her arms behind her back and didn't mind leaving her breasts uncovered, she had no problem being nude around her boyfriend for years now.

She had truly developed into a beautiful young woman. She let her brunette hair grow and it now cascaded down her face rather than sticking out to the sides like it did when she was younger. Her hair now went down to her shoulders, and it retained that silky smooth style she always had.

Her face continued to consist of that same hopeful yet skittish little girl that reluctantly went off to get her Torchic in Littleroot Town nearly a decade ago. Her sapphire eyes seemed to sparkle, at least when Ash looked at her, and she had the happiest smile that could cheer even the most depressed individual up just by looking at her.

Her body developed into the same womanly appearance of her mother. Her well-toned waist and legs gave her an ideal figure, and her breasts had grown slightly larger than her mothers. Her curves were nicely developed and she remained thin, making many guys envy Ash for having such a gorgeous girlfriend. Then again, May caught several girls checking Ash out over the years as well, and made it well known to them that Ash was hers.

She knew she was attractive but she never flaunted it for anyone but Ash, she wanted to make it known that she was extremely happy with her love life. After all, Ash had remained her boyfriend for nearly six years. She always prided herself that Ash was her first, and was extremely happy that she could share her first intimate moments with the same boy she shared her first kiss with. The couple had fun experimenting and going through the stages of love with one another, and she was glad their affection for each other never dwindled. She had the same guy that treasured her for all those years, and she was confident enough that they would always be together in the future as well.

Ash was currently 21, while May was two months away from being 19.

"Do you know what day it is today?" Ash asked.

May looked at him oddly, not quite remembering what was special about the current day. Ash looked at his girlfriend who was standing there topless, with only a pair of red panties on her otherwise voluptuous body. She looked awfully alluring, especially when she put on that cute confused expression. It was hard for him to stop staring at her, especially at age 21 where his hormones had finally kicked in full stop.

"Eh…not really, Ash," she said, walking toward him and hugging him around the waist. She pressed her chest against him and kissed him softly. "Why? Am I forgetting something important?"

He held her around and kissed her forehead. "Yeah, we're supposed to head to Pallet Town today. Don't you remember? Your parents and Professor Oak planned your brother's birthday party there today."

"My brother's birthday?" she said confused, looking up at him, "Max's birthday is not until a little after summer, its December right now! Besides, after that huge fight Max and I had two years ago, we haven't spoken since and you know that. My parents have had a hard time getting the two us to talk again, and it always ended in failure. Man, who would have thought that Max would turn into such a jerk when he became a teenager?"

"Uh, May…you just hit the nail on the head there. You know, the reason you and Max had a fight in the first place?" Ash reminded her, "I wasn't talking about Max's birthday anyway, I was talking about your _other _brother."

"Oh right…you mean Ronald," May said, sighing.

She moved away from Ash and sat back on the edge of her bed. She rubbed her eyes with her hand and looked discouraged.

"I forgot about Ronald's birthday party," she said, displeased with herself, "I don't know why I keep forgetting."

"Its probably because of the circumstances surrounding his birth, you've always had a hard time accepting the fact that you have another brother, and have had one for five years now," Ash said, "You really shouldn't forget that Ronald loves you, a lot, May."

"I…I know. I love him too," she said, "It's not just because he's only my half-brother though, I haven't grown up with him like I did with Max. Max and I lived together before we traveled with you, Ash, and then we traveled with you together for a few years too. I suppose since we're always on the road and I don't see my parents much anymore, I keep forgetting I have a baby brother back home at Petalburg who loves me. Heh…every time he sees me he gets all excited that his big sister came home to visit. I shouldn't forget about him."

"You shouldn't forget about _either _of them," Ash said, "Aside from rarely seeing Ronald, you haven't spoken to Max in two years either. It really isn't like you to push your family away, especially since they're both your younger brothers."

May sighed again and placed her hands on her thighs.

"I've tried to make up with Max before, you know that, but it always ends in disaster. It bothers me that our entire fight revolved around Ronald as well…when he found out what _really _happened to Mom," she said.

She looked like she was going to put herself down again, and he didn't want that to happen. Ash sat down on the bed next to her, motioning for her to rest in his arms on the bed for a little while. She smiled agreeably and climbed on top of him and rested her head on his chest. She also told him to take off his t-shirt so she could feel the warmth of his chest, and he did so accordingly. She pressed her breasts against him and rested contently in an embrace.

"Max didn't take it well at all," she began, reminiscing about that moment two years ago, "The last time our family was all together, Max found out the horrifying truth behind what really happened to Mom. Ronald was only three years old at the time, and Dad was playing with him in the living room. Mom and I were talking in the bedroom together, and eventually the topic about Ross came up again. I guess no matter how hard we tried to forget Ross and the incident, we just couldn't because we had Ronald in our family now that was a constant reminder of him."

"It's hard, isn't it?" Ash asked softly, rubbing her shoulders, "I feel bad that I wasn't there at the time, maybe I could have calmed Max down."

"That would have probably been impossible, even for you," she said, "Max overheard Mom and I talking about how Ross raped her and delivered us this baby to our family, and Max went ballistic. He stormed into the bedroom with a face full of tears and yelled at both me and Mom about keeping this a secret from him. He was shocked to hear that his Mom was raped, and even more shocked to hear that Ronald wasn't our full blood brother like we told him. He broke down and went into an angry rage about how we never let him knew the origins behind Ronald's birth, and he spent the rest of the day cursing us out and even called Dad names. The three of us tried to calm Max down and told him that we kept this a secret from him for his own good, but he just wouldn't listen."

"Max was 13 at the time, wasn't he? It probably hurt him at that age at the most to know you and your parents kept it a secret for three years," Ash said.

"Yeah, I imagine if I were in Max's place instead, I probably would have gotten just as emotional and angry as he got. To spend three years thinking you have a new baby brother because your parents loved each other and only to find out the baby only existed because your Mom was raped really took its toll," she said, "When little baby Ronald took his first steps walking over to Max to see what he was upset about, Max couldn't even stare the child in the face anymore without crying. Max loved Ronald, but knowing he was the offspring of Ross rather than from his father upset him far too much. He then smashed a couple of things in the house during his rampage, and when he scared Ronald and saw the baby bursting into tears, Max couldn't take it anymore and stormed out of the house."

"Shame, it really bothers me that I wasn't there," Ash moped, "I'm sure Max would have listened to me."

"I doubt it. Despite my parents telling me to let Max go so he could cool off for a while, I disobeyed them and ran after him anyway. I felt terrible for Max and didn't want him to feel this angry and confront his feelings all alone, so I knew I had to go after and talk to him. I ran throughout the entire city of Petalburg looking for Max at every corner, desperately trying to catch up to him. Eventually I found him at Petalburg Square, staring solemnly into the Magikarp fountain. I approached him to try and calm him down…boy was that ever a mistake."

***Three years ago* **

"How could you and Mom lie to me like that?!" Max yelled vehemently.

"Max, calm the hell down!" May said anxiously, "I'll explain it to you if you stop acting like such a jerk!"

"No _you _calm the hell down," Max retaliated, "I can't believe you as well as Mom and Dad fed me that bullshit about Ronald being related to us for all those years. How could you say those lies to me with a straight face?"

"They weren't lies!" May shouted, "Ronald _is _related to you, you know that! Stop acting like such a brat, he's still Mom's son!"

"Yeah, but he _isn't _Dad's son!" Max fumed.

He paced the ground around the Magikarp fountain and kicked pebble after pebble into the water. May watched him angrily spew forth obscenities in public toward her and knew that he was blowing his top. In all the years that she had known her brother, this was definitely the angriest he had ever been.

"So just because he isn't related to Dad you have to pull this whiny and pissy fit?" May asked.

"Why shouldn't I?" Max yelled, "It's not just the fact that I now know he's my…half-brother, it's the fact that my entire family lied to me! I can't comprehend why you guys would leave me in the dark about this!"

"We left you in the dark about this because you were too young at the time!" May said, desperately trying to get through to him, "You were only ten years old and first starting your Pokemon journey when we found out that Mom was pregnant with Ronald. Do you honestly believe at the time when you were happier than you had ever been in your life out there on a Pokemon journey, that Mom was going to tell you that you have a new baby brother coming, but it's not from Dad and that it was from a rapist? Do you know how crazy it would be to tell you that at that age?!"

"Mom and Dad sure had no problem telling _you _that," Max remarked.

"They _had _to tell me," she said squeamishly, "I'm the older sibling, for god sakes, Max, Mom had to tell at least _one _of us. They decided to tell me because I…already…knew that…Mom was raped."

Max stopped fuming and looked at her in a perplexed manner.

"What?" he asked.

May sighed and took a deep breath.

"I knew Mom was taken advantage of because I heard it from the guy who did it himself, yeah, Ross," she said, "When Mom was kidnapped, I confronted Ross in an alley alone with my Combusken, remember? During that confrontation Ross told me to my face that he raped Mom a number of times. Do…do you know how I felt at that point, Max? Do you honestly know what was going through my head when he said that?"

Max listened to her intently.

"I…I felt like falling to pieces. I could barely comprehend and stomach what he just said he did to my mother, with no pity or remorse for what he did either. He said it to me with a straight face like he was _proud _of himself and I felt like I could barely breathe. I was so emotionally distressed at that time that looking back, I'm surprised I managed to make it through that ordeal in one piece. Not only could I have been killed because I could barely think straight, but I could have lost it altogether and never recovered from psychological turmoil," May said, getting angry, "So what do you think _I _went through, Max? You're too busy going on a rampage because Mom, Dad and I agreed it was better to keep it a secret rather than telling you the truth. We didn't want to tell you that such a horrible thing happened to Mom, you wouldn't be able to understand it, and even if you did, it would have been a terrifying thing for a ten year old boy to find out his mother was raped. We kept it a secret for your own well-being, there was no reason for such a terrible revelation to be told to you at that point. Who…who knows what might have happened to you if you found that out, you were far too young and immature to handle it maturely...but then again, I guess you're far too immature to handle it _now _too."

The last comment ticked Max off again. His sister didn't mean to do it, but she just ignited the flame that was burning in his chest again. Max began to shout to draw attention to himself so everyone around him would hear.

"WOW. So I'm too immature to handle that my mother was RAPED and I had to be told a horrible lie about how my new baby brother is from my parents rather than from a rapist," he shouted, "Thanks a LOT, May. You sure made me feel a lot better by waiting to tell me this _now." _

Several people walking by started looking at the fight the two siblings were having. People turned their heads and started making comments, since they recognized the two siblings as Norman's children.

"Max, will you shut the hell up and get a grip?!" May said angrily, "I could barely handle the reality that Mom was carrying Ross' child in her either, but I managed to pull through and act strong for Mom. It would be nice if you stopped acting like an asshole and did the same."

"And to think, I probably _still _wouldn't have known about this whole situation if I didn't actually overhear you and Mom talking about it in the bedroom," Max exclaimed, "What were you guys going to do? Planning to keep this a secret for another couple of years and never let me know?"

"M-maybe," she said, "We…we never fully agreed whether we'd tell you someday in the future or not. I…I just feel bad that you had to find out in the way you did."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Max fumed, "I'm sorry that I have you for a sister."

May shook her head.

"You don't mean that," she said, "Just…calm down, Max…please?"

"All I can say is I'm really disgusted by you and our parents right now," Max said.

May looked around her and noticed a crowd forming around them. Many bystanders were listening to their entire argument. May started to feel nervous and embarrassed.

"Max! People…people are looking at us!" May exclaimed, "You…you don't want the whole town to know, do you?"

"I think it's too late for that, May, I think they already heard it all from all the yelling," Max scoffed, "It's sickening and repulsive that this day had to end like this. I don't think I'll ever look at you or Mom and Dad in the same way again."

Max started walking off and pushing through the crowd. May quickly followed him.

"You're…you're overreacting. What…what about Ronald?" she called out.

Max stopped in his tracks and turned toward her.

"You…you love Ronald and he _loves _you. You're not going to turn your back on your baby brother now, are you? It would be an absolutely horrible thing for you to treat him differently now that you know how he was born. You can take whatever you want out on me, but _please _don't take this out on Ronald. There's enough controversy surrounding this already, we don't need our baby brother to grow up thinking his siblings resent him."

Max took a deep breath. The entire crowd of people were gossiping and waiting for what he would say. May looked around her and was peeved that these people crowded around and listened in on their fight.

"I'm not going to take it out on Ronald," Max said, "I'm just not going to going to look at you or Mom and Dad the same way again. I can't believe my respect for my father has been shattered."

"But it doesn't have to be that way!" May pleaded, running up to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Max, you're still overreacting. Once you calm down and reconcile things with yourself, you'll think rationally. Please stop it, what do you think Ash would say if he saw you acting like this?"

"Ash…?" Max muttered.

"Yeah, you think he would approve of you acting in this manner? You know he wouldn't think it's acceptable for you to turn your back on your family simply because of this, he'd be extremely unhappy with you."

"Maybe so," Max realized, "But here's one piece of advice, May."

"Wh-what's that?" she asked, skittishly.

"If you decide to have kids with Ash someday, make sure you only have them with him. I'd hate to think what _your _son would say if he found out his father wasn't Ash but someone else," Max said hastily.

"That's a retarded thing to say, Max," she said vehemently, "You act as if I'm going to be taken advantage of by some guy the way Mom was someday. That would never happen."

"I used to think a lot of things would never happen," he replied, "But now that I know you told me that lie about Mom and our brother for three years, I don't believe anything anymore. Just make sure you don't open your legs for anyone but Ash. You never know anymore."

May was infuriated that he would say such a thing. Her face blew up entirely and she lost herself in rage. She furiously slapped Max across the face so hard that his glasses went flying off his face. He fell to the ground and rubbed his face hastily where she had slapped him. The surrounding people gasped.

"You don't _dare _say something like that to me again, Max," she said furiously, "Or I swear I'll beat the crap out of you right here and now in front of everyone."

Max rose to his feet but didn't answer her. At age 13, he was now the same height as she was, so they were able to look each other in the eye. Both had a face full of contempt toward the other sibling. The townspeople continued to watch with shocked expressions.

"You're not my sister anymore," he muttered to her face.

He angrily walked away from her and picked his glasses up off the floor. The surrounding people watched as he pushed through them and stormed out of there as quickly as possible.

May felt her rage suppressing and was now somewhat sorry for what she did. His comment about her was rude and uncalled for, but she didn't want to strike him in front of everyone and make him storm off, especially when she promised her parents that she would calm him down and bring him back to the house.

She watched her brother storm off in the distance and felt remorseful and full of sadness.

"Max…" she uttered.

***Present* **

"I haven't spoken to Max since the fight, but he did manage to make up with Mom and Dad about a month later," May said, leaning against Ash's chest, "Our parents tried to get us to talk to each other again, but it never worked out. I must have really humiliated him when I slapped him hard in front of all those people; Petalburg citizens, which is why he didn't make up with me but he forgave Mom and Dad for lying about Ronald's birth."

"You really should have gotten me to talk to your brother, I would have been able to help!" Ash said yet again, sitting up in the bed, still holding her in his arms.

She shook her head slowly once more, her face was filled with doubt. She moved in closely and kissed him briefly for his compassion.

"It was too big a humiliation. As I said, those were people of Petalburg watching us fight. They all knew who we were, and Max felt it especially hard," she said.

"Just because you slapped him?" he asked.

"Not only that, but because he felt a lot of pride in our town. Don't you understand, Ash? We know Max wants to become the Petalburg Gym leader after Dad retires. How would _you _feel if you, a young trainer aspiring to be the Gym leader in a town, was slapped and humiliated in front of all the people who live there?" May revealed, "That must have torn him up inside, because he's probably wondering how the Petalburg citizens can take him seriously as a future Gym leader now when he got beaten up by his own sister in public?"

"Jeez, I can see what you mean," Ash said, frowning, "It really must have been embarrassing."

"Yes," she said solemnly, "I feel so bad to this day that I hit him, I regret it all the time. Back then, I was just so insulted by what he said that I lost myself in anger, but looking back, I suppose I could have been a little more responsible. I wish I could apologize to his face, but he never let me."

Ash sighed, but thought of an idea.

"Why don't you apologize to him today then?" he asked, "I'm sure he'll show up for Ronald's birthday party, you and your brother could make up with each other."

"We've both been at Ronald's previous birthdays, but whenever I tried to talk to him he just ignored me. I told you my parents tried to get us to talk to each other again, but he just wouldn't have it. I doubt this time will be any different," she said.

"I'm here this time," Ash said, "I'll try to get him to open up to you."

He rubbed her shoulders passionately and caressed her chest as he attempted to reassure her. She slowly slid off her undergarments, and he watched as she slid her red panties off the bed.

"Ash…" she said, smiling, "Max hasn't seen you in five years, heh, I doubt he'll even recognize you anymore."

"I haven't changed _that _much," Ash said, chuckling, "I've just gotten a little taller…why do you think I've kept the same hair style? I want everyone to actually recognize me when they see me again."

"You've also gotten sexier," May said flirtatiously, stroking his chest.

"Eheh, well, I guess that's only something _you'd _notice," he said.

She leaned toward him and tickled his ear with her tongue. She started rocking on his body as she stroked him alluringly.

"Of course I noticed..." she said, "There's a reason we spend so much time in bed together."

Ash chortled. "Sure, I guess I can't complain. I promise though, when we go to the party at Pallet Town later, I'll talk to Max. It isn't right for you two to carry on this fued for any longer than you have already."

"O…ok," she said.

"I promise, ok?" he asked her again, gripping her shoulders as their motion continued. They both moaned slightly.

"Ok," she replied, "We'll see how it goes…but I'm not expecting any miracles. I'm more excited to see Ronald again, I haven't seen him in a couple of months. I bet he's grown taller by now."

They talked about Ronald contently but their love soon escalated into sheer passion as they slowly lost themselves in one another. Ash's clothes were pulled off as their flesh intertwined and they kissed and moved along the bed with one another. The party was scheduled to begin in the afternoon at 3:00pm, but it was only 9:50am in the morning for the time being. They would have plenty of hours to lose themselves in their love making before they would have to leave, and they would surely savor their time together passionately.

~*~*~*~*

Norman and Caroline held the birthday party for their son at Pallet Town this year, because they knew Ash and May were returning to Kanto since they finished their journey in the region they were currently traveling in. While May's parents were looking for a place to rent out the party, Ash suggested that they have it on Professor Oak's ranch, since there was plenty of free space there and his old friends could make the visit as well. Norman and Caroline agreed to the idea, and notified everyone about Ronald's fifth birthday party.

Ash and May arrived in Pallet Town an hour early to the party and greeted their friends and family when they arrived. There were streamers and many tables set out on the grass behind Oak's lab, and plenty of food set up as a buffet which sure made Ash's stomach rumble. Delia was there to greet her son of course, and this time Delia had to look up into her son's eyes rather than look down due to his height. Delia, as usual, looked like she barely aged a day. It seemed that no matter how much time passed at all, her face still had the same youthful appearance and that same lengthy brown ponytail. Caroline actually got a bit envious of Delia, for it seemed like she was able to still look young while her face showed some slight signs of age.

Professor Oak and his assistant Tracey said hello to Ash and exchanged news about their Bulbasaur. Ash and May were astonished to hear that their two Bulbasaur had mated again and continued to produce more eggs together, and Professor Oak, with the two Bulbasaur's permission, decided to give the offspring to newbie Pokemon trainers ready to start their journey. Many trainers came to Oak's lab week after week, eager to start their careers as trainers, and those trainers who wanted to pick Bulbasaur got the special offsprings of Ash and May's Bulbasaur to start out with. Of course, the Bulbasaur's _first _offspring belonged to Max, May's brother, who wasn't at the party just yet. The two Bulbasaur sighed as they wanted to see how big and strong their first born had grown into, but Ash reassured them that Max would show up to the party eventually.

May hugged her Mom and Dad after a long time no see, and asked where her brother Ronald was. Caroline told her that he had to go to the bathroom, and was going back inside Oak's lab. Ronald was a short boy with dark black hair like his biological father and was quite skinny to boot. His face, for better or worse, also resembled Ross'. The look of his face especially is why Caroline let her son have a head full of hair, she feared that if she got him a shaved head, he'd look just like… _him. _

After a few more moments of chatting, Ronald exited the lab and was ecstatic when he saw his sister standing outside.

"MAY!" Ronald said jubilantly, "My big sister is here!"

May giggled and ran over to her brother and snatched him off the ground, covering him with hugs and kisses. Norman and Caroline smiled warmly appreciating that May was so close with him.

"Of course I'm here, silly, you don't think I'd miss my baby brother's fifth birthday party, did you?" she said excitedly, lowering Ronald to the ground.

"Mommy told me you were coming," he said, jumping up and down, "I got so excited because I love seeing you again, big sister!"

"Me too!" she squealed, "I know sometimes there are long gaps when we don't see each other but I try to visit every time I get a chance!"

"But why don't you see me more often? I miss you," he sulked.

"Aw, that's because I'm older, Ronald. I have to travel around the world to compete in Pokemon Contests. It's my career, it's what I love to do. I'm sure Mom and Dad told you all about my Pokemon Contests," she said.

"Mommy told me you look very pretty in those Contests," he said.

"Tee hee, I guess that's true," she snickered, "Do you remember Ash?"

"Ash?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"Yeah, that man over there," she said, pointing to him.

Ash walked toward the boy with Pikachu on his shoulder, and bent down on one knee so he could talk to him easily.

"Hi, Ronald, I'm Ash!" he said.

Ronald looked at him blankly.

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked.

Pikachu's voice excited Ronald and he turned to the electric Pokemon and started grabbing his cheeks.

"This is cute!" Ronald said gleefully, squeezing Pikachu.

"Piii—iika," Pikachu moaned as its face was being squeezed.

"Guess he doesn't remember you too well, Ash," May said.

"Maybe not, but he sure likes Pikachu!" Ash said, "How about it, Pikachu? Want to play with Ronald?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said.

It jumped off Ash's shoulder to the ground and let Ronald touch it.

"Remember, Ronald, we need to be gentle with Pokemon," May instructed, "Pet its fur nicely."

"Nicely?" Ronald asked.

"Yea, like this," she said, stroking Pikachu's yellow coat as her little brother watched, "Pokemon like to be petted."

"Ok!" Ronald said, slowly and carefully petting Pikachu.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu said happily.

"Heeheee!" Ronald giggled.

Ash and May watched as Pikachu amused Ronald by making funny faces with his face. The little boy giggled and clapped his hands in amusement while Pikachu entertained him.

"Don't take it personally, Ash," Norman said, placing his hand on his shoulder, "But it seems my boy just likes Pokemon more than you."

"Hey, I know perfectly. I was the same way when I was younger too!" Ash said.

"You sure were," Delia chimed in, "You were always amused by Pokemon even when you were a baby."

"Most infants and children DO have an attachment to Pokemon when they're young," Professor Oak said, walking toward them, "Pokemon are meant to be our companions, and right from an early age we humans need to learn to trust them. The connection Ronald is making with Pokemon now will surely benefit him in the future."

Ash agreed, he surely knew it firsthand. Professor Oak then asked Ash if he wanted to see how his old Pokemon were doing on the ranch, and he of course agreed to go run over and check them out. Delia wanted to reminisce with her son some more so she went with the two, in addition to Norman, who was interested in seeing what Pokemon Ash collected over the years. May and Caroline stayed behind with Pikachu and Ronald, they wanted to watch them play some more.

Pikachu stretched out his face completely. "Piiiiikachu!"

"Heehee, you're funny! Mommy, do you see the funny Pokemon?" Ronald asked.

"Yes I see him, dear, Pikachu is a very funny Pokemon," Caroline said.

"Wow," May said while watching her brother, "It's really hard to believe its Ronald's fifth birthday already. Time sure does fly."

"It does indeed, I can still remember when I was pregnant with him as if it were only yesterday, it feels like the last few years have just flown by," Caroline said.

"You…have fond memories of it now?" she asked her mother.

"Somewhat," Caroline sighed, "I know the history behind his birth is a troubled one, but since he was born I've loved him so much that I can't imagine us being without him. He really has been a joyous boy."

"Heh, I agree. I love him every time I see him. It's…a little bothersome though," May admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if it weren't for…you know, what happened, Ronald wouldn't be here right now. I kinda have mixed emotions about it, I love my brother, yet at the same time, I wish you were never kidnapped and had to go through that torture with Ross. It's...very conflicting."

"It is," Caroline sighed, "I still don't know whether to call his birth a blessing or a curse, perhaps love has overweighed the negative however. After all, your father loves Ronald as if he were his own son."

"Yeah, I'm really proud of Dad. He's never looked at Ronald's birth as anything but a positive, despite everything, he's such a great father," she said.

"Whether or not his birth was planned, we cherish him nonetheless. I just wish you and Ross would see each other more often, he tells me all the time how he misses you," Caroline said.

May looked at her mother in a confused manner. "Uh…Mom?"

"Hm?"

"You just called him Ross," May said.

It took a few moments for Caroline to register what she said, she looked somewhat distressed, and tried to reassure her daughter that she didn't say that.

"I didn't call him that, I called him Ronald," Caroline told her.

"No you didn't, I heard you say Ross," May said, "Mom…you don't still think of him…do you?"

Caroline sighed, she knew what she said and the slip of the tongue depressed her.

"It's…hard to forget," Caroline said truthfully, "Every time I look into your brother's face…he reminds me of Ross."

"You never told me that," May said.

"He has the same exact facial structure as his father. The resemblance is nearly uncanny," Caroline said, "If he had a shaved head, he'd truly look one and the same."

Caroline was telling the truth. While she tried to put on a positive demeanor in regards to her son, every time she looked at him she was reminded of the man who raped and abused her. She wasn't confused over whether it was a blessing or a curse, to her, it _did _feel more like a curse. Ronald's face was an almost exact replica of Ross as a child, and it reminded her of the pain she endured every time she saw her own son.

"He left this family a child so we all remember him," Caroline said solemnly, watching the boy giggle and play with Pikachu, "It never lets me forget the pain."

"Naming him Ronald probably didn't help matters either, Mom," May said, crossing her arms, "You could have given him a name that didn't begin with the same first two letters. At least that way you wouldn't have slip ups while saying his name."

"True…the name just came to me though…I don't know why we really decided on it. Your father and I both knew it sounded too much like Ross, but we went with it anyway."

May shook her head.

"Just stay positive, Mom, you know, like you tell me all the time," May said, "I love my brother and I know you and Dad do too. I'd rather him be here than not, and that's why, for better or worse, I can accept the past now because of the present. It just isn't fair to project all this sadness onto Ronald when he's just an innocent boy that doesn't even know his real father isn't your husband."

"You're right, May, I do tend to try and push the conflicting thoughts out of my head. What's done is done, but the pain still lingers, and that's what bothers me," Caroline said.

"Mom."

May walked over to her Mom and hugged her while they both watched Ronald play with Pikachu with delight and cheer.

"Pikachu, pika pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, pulling its cheeks.

"Pikachu, you're funny!" Ronald cheered, "Do it again! Do it again!"

Perhaps the depressing past did make way for a joyous future.

~*~*~*~

As the time passed more of their friends started showing up at the birthday party. May and her parents were still wondering where Max was, as he was usually never late to Ronald's birthdays. They figured he was going to get here eventually, but they hoped he arrived soon because Ronald was asking for him. May also hoped to finally make up with her brother and end their two year fued as well.

Ash was delighted to see Brock show up at the party with his girlfriend, Tana. Brock didn't change much in the last five years at all, aside from getting more serious with his girlfriend, who had her scarlet red hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a pair of jeans and a white long-sleeve shirt while Brock wore his usual attire.

"So what have you been up to, Brock?" Ash asked happily, "I haven't heard from you in a while."

Brock snickered and held Tana's hand. "Well you know…Tana and I…" he said sheepishly.

"…don't get nervous, Brock, just spit it out," Tana said, "Brock and I were thinking about tying the knot, but he's awfully nervous about it."

"Tying the knot?" Ash asked, confused, "What knot?"

Tana and Brock looked at him blankly.

"Geez, Ash, no matter how many years go by you're still the same old Ash," Brock said, "This is Ash, Tana, might as well break it down for him."

Tana giggled. "Saying that you're thinking about tying the knot with someone is another way of saying we're thinking about getting married," Tana said happily.

"Getting married?!" Ash said, astonished, "Really?"

Brock and Tana smiled upon Ash's reaction.

"We've been together for five years now and everything has worked out fine," Tana said excitedly, "Brock here has been thinking about starting a family."

"What? I have not, you know that's your idea!" Brock bantered bashfully.

"Nah, dear, it was yours," Tana said, "He wants to follow in his parents footsteps. I guess we're going to be having ten kids like his parents did."

"Ten kids?!" Ash exclaimed, "That's…a lot!"

"Well my Mom and Dad were able to raise ten children…until they…abandoned them," Brock sighed, "But I promise I won't be like my father, and if we do decide to go the whole ten yards, I'll be there to cook, clean and have fun with my kids when they grow up."

"Ah…don't you love a man who cooks and cleans around the house?" Tana asked playfully.

"Cut it out, honey, you're embarrassing me in front of Ash!" Brock said bashfully.

"I don't mind…or at least I think I don't?" Ash said, perplexed, scratching his head.

Tana turned to Brock and held both his hands. The two went into a deep stare while Ash watched.

"If we really are going to have ten kids together, we might as well get to work on the first one soon," Tana said excitedly.

"Shouldn't we wait till we're married first?" Brock asked.

"Are you saying you want to stick with rubber?" Tana asked slyly.

"What…I mean…of course not!" Brock said, blushing, "I'd just like to wait until everything is settled first…you know."

"Hehehe, ok then, but you better buy me that ring by the end of the year," Tana said, giggling, "I'd like to get to work on our little baby factory as quickly as possible. We both have the equipment on hand, so why not get to work?"

"When you talk like that, there's no wonder I ended up falling for you," Brock said bashfully.

Ash was still confused. That much should have been obvious.

"Anyway, Ash, how's your relationship with May going?" Tana asked.

"With May? It's going great!" Ash said, "She just won the Grand Festival in the Triyot region and she's been extra happy lately. We…love each other a whole bunch."

"I'm happy for you, Ash," Brock said, playfully giving him a punch to the shoulder.

"Yeah," Ash said, placing his hand behind his head, "I'm sure May could tell you a whole bunch of stuff too."

He looked behind him but didn't see her anywhere.

"Hm, that's funny, I thought she was around here a second ago. She isn't playing with Ronald because Caroline is holding him over there," Ash said, pointing to the mother and child, "I wonder where she went."

"Maybe she's talking with Misty?" Brock asked, "I did see the two chatting together while setting up the tables a little while ago."

"Heh, I guess you're right, I'm going to go look for them, catch you guys later!" Ash said, running down the ranch while waving to them.

Brock turned to Tana and chortled.

"You're such a blabbermouth," Brock said, "I didn't want them to know we were going to get married yet, I wanted to announce it as a surprise later."

"Well we only told Ash, we can announce it when May's brother Max gets here too. You haven't seen him arrive here yet, have you?" Tana asked.

"Nope," Brock said, "I'm really starting to wonder where he is, he's actually about a half hour late to the party already. I hope it isn't because of the fight he had with May. Those two really need to make up with each other by now."

"They do," Tana said, "It would be a shame if Ross' wicked deeds drove them apart forever. After my best friend took her life because of that bastard, I was overly depressed. I hope they don't stay depressed because of the incident either. They were always happy siblings, I hope they stay that way."

~*~*~*~*

May and Misty were inside Professor Oak's lab in the kitchen area, where more food was being cooked for the party. Currently only appetizers were on the table, but the main course was still heating in the oven. There was also a huge birthday cake for Ronald to blow out the candles on, it was flavored strawberry shortcake, just the way he loved it.

Misty was also 21 years old now like Ash, and she had matured into quite the responsible Gym leader. The Cerulean Gym was now the most popular Gym in the entire Kanto region, and she had become one of the most powerful Water-type trainers in recent times, second only to Elite members like Wallace and Lorelei.

She had her orange hair down right above shoulder length, it was cut fairly short and she kept it brushed behind her ears. She wore some neat summertime clothes, a tank top with green and yellow stripes across it and very short white shorts. She had finally caught up with her sisters in appearance; her body now could arguably be considered more desirable than her glorious older sisters. She was very pretty, and often had trainers at the Gym try to hit on her after they won a badge from her. She remained modest however, as well as very picky, nevertheless she had more guys lined up around the block for her than she could have ever possibly imagined.

"I'm so glad you could make it to the party today, Misty, I really like it when we're all together," May said happily.

"When Professor Oak and Brock told me you guys were having a party for Ronald here in Pallet, how could I refuse?" Misty said happily, "I put up a closed sign in from of the Cerulean Gym, hopefully nobody breaks into it while I'm gone."

"Aren't your sisters there to watch it for you when you leave?" May asked.

"My sisters? Ha!" Misty laughed, "They've been flying around the region doing god knows what for a few years now. I think its some sort of fashion or modeling show or something-or-other they're doing, but whatever it is, they're sure bringing home a lot of money!"

"They give you what they earn?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. My sisters may not like being Gym leaders, but they sure respect the Gym and expect me to do a good job running it. The last time they visited they left me with a huge sum of money to help the Gym with. I used the money to help finance a new pool for the Gym, new seats in the stands, new underwater caverns for the Pokemon to swim in and everything!" Misty said excitedly, "Really, being a Gym leader isn't so bad once you get used to it."

"Heh, I've heard that line before," May chuckled, "Considering my Dad's a Gym leader and Max wants to be one too, I've heard it a lot over the years. As for me, ick, no Gym leader stuff for _this girl. _Only Contests and traveling!"

Misty peeked in the oven to see if the food was ready, but it still didn't look golden brown yet. She and May chatted a bit more as they walked over to the refrigerator and checked the side dishes.

"So where is your brother, May?" Misty asked, checking the pumpkin pie with her finger. She brought her finger to her mouth and tasted it. "Hmmm, needs a little more salt."

"Max? Hm, I dunno. What time is it now?"

Misty looked up at the clock above them. "It's 3:50pm, your brother is awfully late," she said.

"Man, I was afraid of that," she sulked, "I really hope he gets here soon, everyone is looking for him, especially Ronald."

Misty poured some salt on the pumpkin pie and pushed it back inside the refrigerator.

"He's probably rushing over here after a huge battle or something, don't get too worried," Misty said.

"I'm…not, I just want to see him for an important reason."

"Being a trainer is a lot of work, and considering he's been out there traveling by himself for five years now, I'm sure he's doing well. Heck, I work 12 hour shifts at the Gym most of the time doing all kinds of stuff like battling trainers, maintenance, making sure the Pokemon are all well-fed and everything. It's a lot of work, but it sure does feel worth it at the end. I'm sure your brother feels the same way with his accomplishments."

"You work 12 hour shifts? Do any cute guys come to the Gym?" May asked excitedly.

"Heehee, funny you should ask. I get hit on almost every other day, sometimes multiple times in the same day. Some guys even have the nerve to ask me to battle them while wearing my Mermaid outfit," Misty said, sticking out her tongue.

"Really? What perverts," May teased.

"I know, right? The nerve of such people, if you want to win my heart over you gotta keep your eyes on the battle and not on my breasts," Misty said as she rolled her eyes.

"Wow, I'm sure you have lots of stories to tell, Misty," she said excitedly.

"I do, there's a ton of them, but enough about me, I want to talk about you," Misty said, "More specifically, how's it going with Ash?"

May smiled. "Ash is a sweetheart, but he can be a bit too stubborn at times and we fight over stupid things like who gets to eat the last croissant for dinner, but otherwise we're doing great!" she said, "Oh, and then he snores a lot when he sleeps too. That bugs the hell out of me, so much so that I gotta kick him off the bed to wake him up."

"Ooh, that sounds interesting. So…if you don't mind me asking…how's the sex?" Misty asked.

"Wha…?" May said, somewhat startled.

"C'mon, don't try to hide it, I know you and Ash have done it by now," Misty implied, "You don't have a guy like Ash around as your boyfriend for five years and not eventually lose your virginity to him."

May blushed and pushed her hands against her cheeks.

"It's…nice…" May said, nervously.

"That's it?!" Misty chortled, "C'mon, May…I know there's more to it than _that!" _

"Hey…what's with the million and one questions, Misty? This is private stuff!" May said skittishly, her face turning a bashful red.

"I'm just interested, that's all," she said, "I can tell from the look on your face that it isn't just sex, it's _good _sex. Ooh la la, your face is bright red! That must mean the sex is incredible!"

"Hey! You're…too excited about this! Jeez," May said bashfully, "We've...slept together a number of times over the past year. I…think it gets better each time we do it, since we both learn from our previous…uh…experiences and get better at it. Ash and I didn't know what the hell we were doing the first time we "attempted" to have sex, mostly because it hurt me a bit and Ash didn't know whether he was doing it the right way or the wrong way."

"Heh, I guess I can get a lot of information out of you when I push hard enough," Misty teased.

"Aw, you're mean," May said, trying to hide her excessive blushing, "We…did lose our virginity to each other after all, so its no surprise that we got better at it as we went on."

"I imagine you and Ash have quite the time together," Misty said, "You're really lucky, May, to have a guy like Ash. I hope you know that."

"I…I know," she said, nodding.

"I can tell the way he talks about you that he loves you a lot, and speak of the devil, look who just came in here now!" Misty said, waving, "Hey, Ash!"

May turned around flustered as Ash walked toward them. Ash noticed that her face was very red and Misty was giggling.

"Geez, what happened here?" Ash asked, "You look awfully embarrassed, May, did Misty say something about me?"

"You can say that, Ash," Misty chortled.

"She's just crazy, ignore her," May said frantically, waving her arms, "Did you come in here to sneak some food away or something?"

"No, actually, I came here to ask you if you've seen Max. Has he gotten here yet?" Ash asked.

"No, that's what we were wondering about too," Misty said, "Maybe your parents should call him, May?"

"They don't have his phone number, Max broke his PokeNav a few months ago and never got it repaired," May said, "Damn, I hope he makes it. He'll really disappoint Ronald if he doesn't."

"Well, give him another half hour. He'll show up," Ash said, taking May's hand.

May wasn't sure if that was really the case or not. Max was never late to Ronald's parties, not even by a few minutes. To be nearly an hour late was not only surprising, but she started to have this worrisome feeling in the back of her head that something happened to him. She hoped that was not the case, and shook her head over how silly imagining such a thing was. In any case, Misty prying in about their love life snapped her out of her thoughts about her brother.

"By the way Ash, I hope you're gentle with May. She's a delicate girl," Misty said, peering back into the oven.

"What?" Ash pondered.

"She's just saying how you should be gentle when we sleep together," May said, laughing.

"Huh? Is that what you were blushing about?" he asked.

"Yea, Misty was curious about how good the sex was," May said, chuckling.

"…"

"If you're curious, May, I can give you some advice on different techniques for next time," Misty called out, "There can never be too much advice about love during a little girl-talk."

"OK!" May said naively, "Not while Ash is around though, I want to surprise him with it. Let's wait till he leaves."  
The two girls giggled.

"You two are weird," Ash said plainly.

Misty and May laughed as they looked over the rest of the food for the party. Awkwardness couldn't even describe the situation properly, Ash walked out of the room while hearing Misty and May gossip about him in the background.

~*~*~*~*~*

Hours passed and the party went on. Everyone was having a good time yet they all felt the absence of a certain family member, namely Max. It was now 5:00pm and Max _still _wasn't at the party. They were starting to wonder if he was going to show up at all, and couldn't believe that he'd miss out on his younger brother's party.

Ronald started to get cranky because his favorite brother wasn't around, and started to bug his parents about where he was. May asked her parents about Max and they didn't have a clue why he wasn't here. Ronald started bothering and whining to his parents so much that they couldn't think straight, and Misty offered to take Ronald by the hand and show him the food a few feet away from them to calm him down.

"Ronald, want to come with me? I can show you some of the yummy cake Brock will be serving later!" Misty said, holding out her hand to the young boy.

"Cake…? I like Cake!" Ronald said happily, running to grab her hand.

Misty picked him up and carried him on her shoulder as she winked at May for taking him off their hands. May appreciated it.

"Do you think maybe he's not coming to the party just to spite me?" May asked her parents.

"Why would that be?" Norman retaliated, "You've been together at the other parties and Max would never do this to his own brother."

"Yeah…I know, but I really can't think of another reason," May said sadly.

"Do you guys really not keep Max's phone number? It seems pretty dumb not to," Ash said.

"Ash! Be polite!" May scolded him, "Max never bothered to get his PokeNav fixed so how the heck could my Mom and Dad call him? It's his own fault that he doesn't keep a way for us to stay in contact with him."

"I was just sayin'," Ash moaned.

"Well, we are going to start digging into the food pretty soon, we've waited a long time already," Brock said, walking over to them, "Let's just hope he does indeed show up before all of it is gone."

"Ok, Brock, but still," May whined.

"I really don't know what to say," Caroline said, "If he's doing this on purpose, I'll definitely be angry with him."

The family started quarreling with each other as Misty held Ronald from afar. She sighed and showed Ronald the cake and food on the outside tables.

"Are we gonna eat all that cake up later, Missy?" Ronald asked.

"Tee hee, my name is Misty, not missy," she said happily, cradling the boy in her arms, "And yes, we're going to eat all the cake up later. Aren't you happy?"

"Is my brother going to cut me a piece of cake? He always cuts me a biiiiiig piece just for me!" Ronald exclaimed.

"That's…if he gets here, Ronald," Misty said, "If he doesn't make it, either me or your sister can cut you a piece of cake too."

"But I want Max to do it! He cuts me a big piece and Mommy gets mad that Max cuts me a bigger slice than she'd give me!" Ronald said.

"Heheh, Max gives you more cake than you should have, that's very nice of him," Misty said.

"Yeah, is Max coming?" he asked again, getting impatient in her arms.

"Hopefully soon," she reassured him, "Your brother loves you, he wouldn't miss your big birthday party. Here, want me to give you a tiny piece of cake a little bit early?"

"Ok, Missy, thank you!" Ronald said happily, drooling.

"Tee hee, I said it's _Misty _not Missy!" she said, giggling.

Misty placed Ronald back on the ground and cut him a tiny piece of cake while his parents weren't looking. Ronald happily dove right into the treat as Misty watched May and her parents getting more impatient with each other. Ash was fairly disappointed in the quarreling and walked over to her.

"They're really arguing about it a lot," Ash said.

"Yeah, Ash, I can see that May and Caroline are getting really stressed out about it from here," she said, peering over at them, "Did May and Max really stop talking to each other?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, May humiliated him in public back in Petalburg City, and they haven't talked since. Now they're starting to wonder if Max deliberately didn't show up just because May came here."

"That doesn't sound like the Max I know, he'd never do something this spiteful to his own family," Misty said.

"Max has changed a lot since you knew him, he's gotten more arrogant as he got older. People…change when they grow up," he said.

"Yes, I know," Misty said, leaning against the table, "People do change…a lot."

Ronald walked over to Misty and handed her the empty plate.

"All done!" he exclaimed.

"Wow, Ronald, you ate that cake all up! Don't tell your Mommy about it though, it's our little secret!" Misty said, taking the plate from him.

"Ok, I just hope my big brother gets here to cut me another biiig piece later," Ronald said happily, scurrying back over on the grass toward his parents.

Ash and Misty watched the eager little five year old pull on May's clothes to get her attention, and after whining to her parents some more, she bent down and picked her little brother up.

"It just doesn't make sense why Max wouldn't be here, he knew in advance about the party, it just isn't in his character not to be there for his brother," Ash said.

"Maybe something happened to him?" Misty asked.

"Are you crazy? What could possibly happen to him?" Ash retaliated, slightly angry.

"Hey, relax, it was just a suggestion," Misty said, blowing him off, "It would explain why he's not at the party."

"Yeah, but you don't have to go ahead and start thinking something bad happened to the kid," Ash said.

"What? I don't think anything bad happened to Max, I was just…saying…" Misty exclaimed.

Brock walked over to them and shook his head.

"What are you two doing, bickering just like the old days? It's bad enough May's family is starting to bicker with each other over Max, we don't need you two to do it as well," Brock said.

"Sorry, Brock, it's just that we don't want Ronald to be upset," Ash said.

"Yeah, that little boy sure does love his brother," Misty said, "It'll be a shame if he doesn't get to see him. He'll be so disappointed."

"I think everyone just needs to relax, Max is a good kid, he's not going to spite his entire family," Brock said, "I'm still confident he'll show up eventually, besides, all this fighting is getting Tana nervous."

"Heh, you're probably right, Brock," Ash said.

"I suppose we all need to relax a bit and enjoy what we came here for. It is a party, after all, we should be having a good time," Misty said.

"Exactly, now c'mon, let's get started on the dinner, I whipped up some great stuff," Brock said happily, "When Max gets here they'll be plenty of food left over for him. Besides, why are we worrying so much about Max? What trouble could he possibly be in?"

~*~*~*~*~

Max was hanging upside down from the roof of a cavern.

He was barely conscious and had slash marks throughout his body. His pants remained unscathed but the entire back of his shirt was torn in two and barely hanging on his body. His legs were held together by a sticky substance that dangled him from the ceiling and prevented him from moving.

The green beast that struck him and brought him back to his domain was to the left of him, eating a large piece of meat from some other unlucky dead Pokemon. The beast had spikes all along its back and its massive tail. It had long jagged teeth inside its massive mouth and was about seven feet tall which is why Max was easy prey for the goliath. The Pokemon was a Tyranitar, a deranged beast that searched the land for food and decided upon Max as its next meal.

The boy struggled to peer around the cavern as best he could, even though the stinging pain in his back was preventing him from holding his concentration. He was looking for his Ivysaur, unsure if it managed to get away before the beast struck him unconscious.

He spotted his backpack, his cracked glasses and a few scattered Pokeballs lying around against a rock to his right, but his Ivysaur wasn't among them. He prayed that his Ivysaur had gotten away, and wasn't the piece of meat that the beast was currently devouring to the left of him.

He desperately tried to reach himself up to pull apart the substance that was holding his legs together on the ceiling, but dangled unsuccessfully when he couldn't reach. He didn't want to alert the beast that he was still alive, but desperately needed to find some way to escape.

Suddenly, he noticed one of his Pokeballs glowing and floating in mid-air. The boy thought he had perhaps imagined it in his delirium, but no, it was really floating. The boy suddenly reached out with his hand to try and call the Pokeball to him, and the ball surely started to slowly float toward him. Whether it was coincidence or not didn't really matter, he just had to get out of there before he was next on Tyranitar's menu.

Max groaned. Tyranitar suddenly looked up at the boy and dropped the piece of meat out of its mouth. It stood on its legs and started walking toward the boy ominously. Max knew he only had a few precious seconds left or he would surely die.

The Pokeball suddenly opened up and revealed his Scyther, a green praying mantis Pokemon with long wings and scythes for arms.

"Scyther…help me!" Max groaned.

Scyther quickly realized what was going on and fluttered in mid-air to cut the substance holding his legs together.

"Sccyyyyyyyther!" Scyther cried.

Tyranitar started marching toward them as quickly as possible. Max's legs were free and the boy fell to the ground, but instead of hitting the floor, he floated in mid-air.

"Wuh?" Max moaned.

His body was surrounded by a blue aura, and was gently lowered to the floor.

"Scyther…who did that?" Max asked.

_Gardevoir. _

"What?" Max asked, startled, "Gardevoir….used its psychic abilities to levitate your Pokeball and let me land…where…?"

Before Max fainted, he caught a rare glimpse of the majestic green and white Pokemon know as Gardevoir, who hovered in the air and fired a Shadow Ball attack at Tyranitar. The beast screamed in pain as Scyther stood in front of Max's body defensively and let the two go at it.

Gardevoir looked back at the boy who would surely die if his wounds were not healed. It began to sway forth in the air before firing another round of energy at Tyranitar. The beast roared upon the explosion.

"I don't…understand," Max said, as he collapsed on the ground.

The boy fainted, leaving the rest of his life up to chance.

~*~*~*~*~

"How ya feeling, sonny?" an old man said jovially.

The boy opened one eye cautiously and looked around him. He suddenly shot up on the operating table and gasped when he realized he was inside a Pokemon Center.

"How the heck did I get here?" he gasped. He then realized that he was no longer in pain, and looked behind him as he pressed his hand along his back. "All the slash marks…are gone!"

"Gardevoir," Gardevoir said, smiling at the boy.

"Gardevoir? You…helped me?" Max asked.

"Ivysaur, Ivy!" a familiar Pokemon chimed.

Max felt Ivysaur's vine pressing against his face and he turned happily to his right to see his Ivysaur safe and sound on the chair next to the operating table.

"Ivysaur, you're alive!" Max gasped happily as Ivysaur jumped into his arms.

"Ivysaur, Ivy!"

"Your Scyther is ok as well, we returned it to its Pokeball. Your other Pokeballs and backpack are resting against the wall over there," the old man pointed.

Max squinted at the old man for a few moments before recognizing him.

"Hey I know you…don't I?" Max asked.

"Unless you got amnesia from that little escapade, you definitely should," the Professor said, "It's me, Professor Latrommi."

"Professor Latrommi?" Max gasped, "Wow, it really is you…its…been such a long time!"

"Only half a decade, more or less. Nothing too much," Latrommi said, smiling as his large nose dangled in front of the boy, "You're just lucky I was able to save your life."

"You…saved me with your Gardevoir, correct?" Max asked.

"Gardevoir, Gardevoir," it chimed.

"Gardevoir was tracking down the deranged Tyranitar you ran into, and eventually its search led it to the cave you were being held in," Latrommi said, "In other words, you were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time, boy! Well…you were also in the wrong place at the wrong time because my rampaging Tyranitar nearly tore you limb from limb and made you its dinner…but hey, at least we saved you, right?"

"Gee, thanks," Max pouted, "That Tyranitar…wouldn't happen to be the same one from over five years ago, would it? Is that the same one my sister and Ash had to battle and bring back to the lab? The same one you used that de-aging ray gun of yours on?"

"You hit the nail on the head with that one," he said, "Tyranitar managed to escape from my lab on its own and considering how deteriorated its mind was, it went on a rampage over any area it was in. I had to go call for my good friend Gardevoir to help track it down and bring it back here before anyone got hurt, unfortunately, you didn't seem to be that lucky. But not to worry! Even though you were near death, Gardevoir used her healing technique and your wounds are all but gone! Isn't it grand?"

"Yeah…thank you," Max said, looking at his Ivysaur, "I hope that Tyranitar didn't hurt anyone else besides me before you stopped it."

"Eh…we're looking into that," Latrommi said quickly as sweat poured down his face, "We have Tyranitar here in the Pokemon Center now, all calmed down, so I'll just hope for the best. I just wish my old friend could live out the rest of its days peacefully. Anyway, boy, what was your name again? And where is your sister and that other kid you used to travel around with?"

"Heh, the name is Max, remember? And I don't travel with Ash or my sister anymore, I travel all by myself with my Ivysaur," Max said proudly.

"Finally broken away from your sister's shadow, eh? That's wonderful, although if I had a sister that looked like yours, incest would certainly be an option worth exploring," Latrommi said.

"That's sick," Max said disgusted.

"Can't you take a joke, kid?" Latrommi snorted.

"That was a joke?" Max asked, perplexed.

"Ah, never mind," Latrommi said.

"Gardevoir," Gardevoir said, shaking its head.

Ivysaur jumped out of Max's arms and back on the chair. He got up from the operating table and stood on the floor, stretching out his arms. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was 9:00pm at night. He groaned and leaned against the wall.

"Something bothering ya, kid?" Latrommi asked, "You should be happy! You just cheated death!"

"Yeah, yeah, but I had someplace to be today," he sulked, "It was my little brother's birthday party, and I was supposed to see my parents, and my sister and Ash and everyone again at Pallet Town. It's…9:30pm now so I missed the entire thing, damn, this is the first time I ever missed getting to my baby brother's birthday. My parents will probably think I missed it on purpose since I had a big fight with my sister two years ago."

"Well you have a good excuse. Just tell your parents you were almost killed today, they'll buy that story, no problem!" Latrommi said nonchalantly.

Max rolled his eyes.

"My brother Ronald was probably wondering where I was all day, I can imagine him being so disappointed," Max said.

"Ivysaur, Ivy!" Ivysaur chimed, trying to cheer its trainer up.

"I know, Ivysaur, and you wanted to see your parents again too. You know, after nearly biting the big one today, I realize how stupid it is of me to carry on that fued I have with my sister. Life's too short for me to push my family away and not talk to them, I probably would have finally apologized to her if I got the chance."

Latrommi glanced at Gardevoir.

"Why don't you just go there now? It's not _too _late yet," Latrommi suggested.

"Are you crazy? The party is all the way at Pallet Town and we're here in Vermilion City! How the heck am I supposed to get there?" Max asked.

Gardevoir approached the boy and nodded.

"Why don't you hop aboard the Gardevoir express? She can probably transport you there," Latrommi said.

"Whoa, I forgot about that," Max said, surprised, "You still have May's energy signature stored in your body from when we were looking for Ross all those years ago, right?"

"Gardevoir," Gardevoir said, nodding.

"Then that means you can just zero in on her location and transport me right to her!" Max said happily, "Awesome! Maybe I can make it to the party and apologize to my sister tonight after all."

"Life's full of surprises, ain't it?" Latrommi said, yawning, "Might as well stop yapping and just let Gardevoir teleport you there already, this story needs to end sometime, you know?"

"Heehee, ok," Max said happily, "I'll probably have to explain to them the lack of a shirt and why my glasses are cracked, but other than that I can just pick up my bag and Pokeballs and be good to go!"

"Ivysaur, Ivysaur!" Ivysaur cheered.

"Yeah, we'll be there soon, Ivysaur," Max said jovially.

"Hm, you could use a shirt though, Max," Latrommi said, as he reached into a drawer and pulled out a long white t-shirt, "The Pokemon Center has some spare plain white t-shirts, so you might as well wear this when you transport over there rather than going with your bare chest."

Max happily took the white t-shirt from Latrommi and put it on quickly.

"Thanks a lot, it fits nicely too," Max said, smiling.

"No problem, kiddo," Latrommi said, winking at the boy, "I'm just glad to help an old friend."

"Gardevoir," Gardevoir motioned, reaching out her arm for Max to grab a hold.

"Don't forget to mention me when you get there," Professor Latrommi said, "I began this silly story, I might as well end with it. So long!"

Max was excited as he picked up his bag as well as his belongings and prepared to teleport with Gardevoir over to Pallet Town. He hoped it wasn't too late to finally set things straight.

~*~*~*~*

Caroline was holding her son, Ronald, who was falling asleep in her arms. The little boy had finally tired out after a long and festive party. She was sitting inside Ash's house in Pallet Town as she rocked the child and sang him a soft lullaby. The mother was annoyed that Max didn't show up at the party, but she felt even more sorry for her son, who was asking for Max the entire time. Her husband felt the same way, but was more concerned for Max's well-being than anything else. He knew it wasn't like him to spite the family on purpose, and was worried about his whereabouts.

Since they were in Pallet Town, Ash was feeling a little homesick, so he wanted to spend the night at his house. Delia kept his bedroom the same as it always was, leaving most of the same furniture and his belongings in their place from the time he left on his journey over ten years ago.

Ash, Pikachu and May were staring out the bedroom window at the night sky. The party was a blast, but after Misty, Brock and Tana had gone home, they felt a little bittersweet. This was the first time they were all reunited in quite some time, so they all felt a little sad that their friends had returned to their own lives after the party ended. After all, none of them were kids anymore. Ash and his friends were all in their twenties now, and they were no longer the band of optimistic go-getters who set out on adventures together in the world of Pokemon back when they were younger. The parting felt even more sad because Max never attended, and his absence was felt by everyone.

"So what do you think is going to happen now?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu cooed, standing on the windowsill.

"We'll have to see how Max explains himself the next time we see him," May said, "If…there is a next time we see him."

She brushed her hand through her brown hair as her innocent gaze watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.

"I hope it doesn't cause a rift in your family," Ash said, taking her hand.

May smiled, she was done trying to predict stuff, and accepted things as they came.

"We'll see what happens, Ash, but for now, I just want to get some sleep. The party really tired me out, and spending hours thinking about my brother didn't help matters," she said, squeezing his hand, "Want to get to bed?"

"Our parents are downstairs talking with one another, you sure you want to go to sleep so early?" he asked.

"Yeah, I doubt they'll bother us. It's not like we have anything better to do now anyway," she said smiling, inching her way toward his face.

"As long as you're not going to do anything Misty told you about, its fine with me," he joked.

"Maybe I'll just surprise you with something I came up with then," she said lovingly.

Ash brought his girlfriend close and kissed her softly, caressing her brown hair and holding her around the waist. She had her arms across his back as they kissed slowly and passionately, holding each other tight as the moonlight surrounded by stars outside illuminated the loving couple.

As Ash and May's hands started to wander to unnecessary places and clothing started to fall to the ground, Pikachu knew it was its cue to leave the room and give the two a little privacy. Just as Pikachu was about to walk out the door, Ash gave his best friend a little wink for the convenience.

"Pikachu," Pikachu cooed, as it stepped outside the room and gently shut the door behind it.

May giggled as she pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him, letting him fondle her breasts as their warm skin radiated upon each other.

"This seems like a nice way to end the day, Ash," she giggled as he stroked her fondly, "We begin the day making love to each other and we end the day the same way, too bad we don't get a chance to do this all the time."

"We could find the time," he said, as their hips squeezed against one another and their love ensued, "It's not like being a Pokemon trainer takes up 24 hours."

"Heh, I love you, Ash," May said happily, her gentle smooth skin brushing against his, "Thank you for making me happy all these years, you're just the best. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I wouldn't either, we're two of a kind, aren't we? No wonder I love ya so much," Ash said, kissing her tenderly.

As they were enjoying their moment, a bright light began to appear in the right side of the room next to the bed. The light was so bright that the couple turned to see what it was and had to shield their eyes from it.

"What is that?" Ash asked, sitting upright with May on his lap.

"I…don't know," May replied, her hands placed firmly on Ash's shoulders.

The light disappeared and in its place left none other than the feminine Pokemon Gardevoir and May's brother, Max. The boy and Gardevoir looked disoriented as they tried to figure out where they were….until they saw Ash and May nude holding each other on the bed next to them.

"GAH!" Max cried, shielding his eyes, "Gardevoir, you didn't have to transport us right next to them! The last thing I wanted to see was my sister and Ash naked in bed together!"

"Gardevoir, Gardevoir!" Gardevoir said, apologizing frantically.

Ash and May quickly jumped off each other and dropped over to the other side of the bed and kneeled behind it. They only looked over the side of the bed at shoulders length so Max and Gardevoir wouldn't see more than they needed to.

"What the hell!" May cried, "You guys nearly scared the life out of me! You can't just appear out of nowhere when I'm having sex…!"

"Max!" Ash said jovially, a huge smile appearing across his face. He turned to May. "Well you wanted to see your brother again, May, so here he is!"

May finally calmed down and pushed her hand through her hair skittishly. Her brother was standing there on the other side of the room, and once the shock settled down, she was happy to see him.

"Hey…Max, long time no see," she said softly, unsure of what his reply would be.

Max paused and scratched his right shoulder. This was the first time they spoke to one another sincerely in over two years. Although dropping in on his sister while she was making love with Ash wasn't exactly the idea he had in mind, especially since the couple was now kneeled down on the other side of the bed to hide their nakedness, it was either now or never to finally let their fued die.

"Um…May…I'm sorry," Max said, striking a soft smile, "I apologize for acting like such a jerk…I…I just want to say I'm sorry for everything."

May nodded.

"I'm sure you are, in more ways than one," she laughed, "I'm sorry too, but can we like…apologize to each other after I'm fully dressed? It sure is awkward to do it like this."

"I see what you mean," Max said, smiling, "Are Mom and Dad still here?"

"They're downstairs with Ronald," Ash said, "Go see them!"

"Ok, Ash, heh, I barely recognized you," Max said, still shaken up from seeing the two like that, "I'll…leave you two here to put some clothes on."

Max walked toward the door as Ash and May continued to kneel behind the bed with nervous expressions on.

"Gardevoir," Gardevoir said nonchalantly, walking out the door with him.

As the door shut behind them, Ash and May finally stood up from behind the bed.

"Even though he's a little late, it looks like Max made Ronald's birthday party after all!" Ash said contently.

"Yep, and it looks like he's going to finally talk to me again after all this time too and forgive me," May said, nodding, "Although I have to say, I think seeing the two of us, you know, like _this _may have scarred him for life."

"Heehee, but why do you think he had a Gardevoir with him?" Ash asked.

"Hm, I dunno, but I guess we'll find out when we ask him. There was something very familiar about that Gardevoir though," May said, slapping Ash on the chest, "Put some clothes on, will ya, I'd like to join the little family reunion going on downstairs."

The couple heard her parents and Max talking to each other downstairs with much enthusiasm and happiness, and were pleased that all was going well.

Pikachu rushed back into the bedroom with much excitement.

"Pikachu, pikapi!" it cheered.

"You just saw Max run by, didn't you, Pikachu?" Ash asked happily. Pikachu jumped on the bed and cheered. "Yep, Max is back!"

They quickly threw their clothes back on and May grabbed Ash quickly so they could rush downstairs…where a reunited family was happy to be together again.

Ash and May certainly had an adventure together that went down many twists and turns, shocks and surprises, and although the future hasn't been written yet, the couple sure had a lot of excitement to look forward to.

Ash turned to Pikachu as he watched May run down the steps and greet her family. Max opened up his arms to give his sister a heartwarming hug while Ronald snapped out of his sleepiness in the excitement of seeing his older brother. Norman, Caroline and their three children had a lot of catching up to do, and Ash watched afar with Pikachu and smiled.

"They look like a happy family again, Pikachu," Ash said.

"Pikachu!"

"Yeah, and as May's boyfriend, I'm glad we're part of that family too," he said proudly, "C'mon, let's join them!"

Ash and Pikachu walked toward May and her family. He put his arms around May and watched Max and Ronald laugh excitedly. May turned to Ash and kissed him on the cheek.

She loved Ash, and she was glad that he was part of the family too. She couldn't have asked to be any happier than she was presently.

**The End.**

* * *

_CyberCubed and I hope you have enjoyed reading this story and hope you will come and read it again another time^^_

_As I said on the beginning, all the credit for writting this fic is CyberCubed's and I thank him for letting me post this fic here on this site_


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